Canna 'Purpurea' and Canna 'Russian Red'

These are tall plants with dark foliage, and are grown for foliage rather than flowers. At one time, in Europe, both these varieties were known as Canna 'Purpurea', but they were clearly different. The 'Purpurea' as marketed by Dutch growers was "fastigiate", ie tall narrow growth with the narrow leaves pointing upwards. The other 'Purpurea', as grown in the UK, had darker and wider leaves, and the growth pattern was not so fastigiate. It was clearly unsatisfactory to have different varieties with the same name.

A collector in the USA sent us a canna identical to the darker, broader leaf version, under the name 'Russiam Red'. So we adopted the name 'Russian Red for the variety that had previously been known in the UK as 'Purpurea'.

A Canna Trial was held at RHS Wisley Gardens in 2002 to evaluate canna varieties. Wisley Garden submitted 'Purpurea', and we submitted 'Russian Red'. 'Russian Red received an award, and 'Purpurea' received no award! This justified our belief that 'Russian Red' is a better variety than 'Purpurea'.

Canna 'Purpurea' growing at Wisley Gardens

Canna 'Russian Red' growing at Kew Gardens

Canna 'Russian Red' Leaf