Back in the day, in 1997 on one of my canna-hunting expeditions I discovered Canna ‘Auguste Ferrier’ growing in the garden of an old farmhouse near La Rochelle, in western France. I negotiated an exchange with the old lady living there, where I was allowed to dig up a bit of the very large clump in exchange for a bottle of Bordeaux red wine, that I handily kept in my car for this sort of occasion. The lady, a charming farmers widow, then insisted that I sit down and help her empty the bottle and she recounted the history of this heritage plant, which had been in her family for several generations. Often, when encountering old varieties the name has become jumbled, but on this occasion there was no detective work needed as she was a descendant of François-Louis-Auguste Ferrier, a Peer of France, after whom the variety was named.
I grew the plant for many years, before the dreaded virus struck and I reluctantly came to the conclusion that I had no option but to consign it to the local council furnace. In the in-between years I had shared the plant with others, and this last spring was delighted when I received back a large healthy rhizome from an old canna acquaintance in France. I grew the rhizome this summer, and must confess that I am very pleased to re-acquire this heritage canna Foliage Group collection accession.
While growing C. ‘Auguste Ferrier’ at Claines Canna I took the opportunity of growing it alongside Canna ‘Red Stripe’, and I, along with several others, came to the conclusion that they were identical, and that the old unnamed plant christened with the name of ‘Red Stripe’ was actually the ancient variety Canna ‘Auguste Ferrier’. Many heritage varieties ended up without anyone knowing their names and then being re-christened by enthusiasts, and I, for one, think that is excellent as it retains good gardening plants for posterity.
I do not have any surplus Canna ‘Auguste Ferrier’ to share this year, as I have promised rhizomes to several French friends and to the UK National Canna collection. It is prolific at tillering, growing many new rhizomes each year, and hopefully I will have some available to share with enthusiasts next year.
I must confess that I am very disappointed that France does not have the equivalent of the UK National Collections, as it would be good to help preserve this gardening treasure for future generations, especially as it was originally a French creation anyway.