| Great progress began in 1870 in the | | | | beloved Operatic titles with colorful |
| hybridizing of the canna lily by a | | | | tropical leaves with stalks of glowing |
| combination of genetic materials from the | | | | flowers worked well. These Italian canna |
| wild canna species that had been collected | | | | introductions were planted and grown |
| from around the world, leading to the | | | | throughout much of the European continent. |
| production of the 'Madame Crozy' cultivar. A | | | | The Grand Opera Series of canna cultivars |
| great interest developed in canna lilies as a | | | | were tagged with names of the well known |
| colorful garden plant that previously had | | | | operatic performances of Aida, La Boheme, La |
| been grown chiefly for the fast growing, | | | | Traviata, Madam Butterfly, Rigolletto and Der |
| tropical foliage, since the wild canna blooms | | | | Rosenkavalier (German.) |
| were mostly small and uninteresting. The | | | | |
| stockpile of collected, canna wild species | | | | The German Canna hybridizer, Wilheim Pfitzer, |
| were again used to back-cross and intermingle | | | | had his own favorite canna names including, |
| with the celebrated hybrid, Madame Crozy. | | | | Stadt Fellbach. Most of Pfitzer named cannas |
| | | | were given vivid and specific color names |
| The bright bazaar colors and the tropical | | | | such as: Crimson Beauty, Primrose Yellow, |
| look was excitable and exotic for the | | | | Salmon Pink, and Chinese Coral. In addition |
| gardeners of the Victorian Age. Several | | | | to adding clear colors of pastels, the |
| countries including Italy, Germany, France, | | | | Pfitzer canna grew into dwarf plants and |
| and England became actively involved in canna | | | | rarely grew taller than 3ft. This dwarf |
| hybridization. Great efforts were made to | | | | feature was very attractive for small |
| codify the canna lily as an inexpensive, | | | | metropolitan gardens, where space was |
| brilliantly flowered plant with the tropical, | | | | limited, and most of the Pfitzer canna |
| fast growing, garden choice to plant | | | | cultivars readily produced seed that might |
| everywhere, and as often happens, to the | | | | grow into even better canna cultivars with |
| unstoppable point of being brashly overdone. | | | | that personal touch for the backyard |
| | | | gardener. |
| A few of the Victorian Era canna hybrids are | | | | |
| still grown today, despite the general | | | | Italian interest in hybridizing canna lilies |
| opinion of most canna lovers, that they | | | | extended even into the Italian Monarchy |
| should be buried with the past and forgotten | | | | reigns of King Emmanuel II and his son, King |
| except for the historical contribution that | | | | Humbert. The Yellow King Humbert canna is |
| elevated the wild native hybridization canna | | | | believed to have been renamed by an English |
| combinations that created new directions for | | | | gardener as Richard Wallace. |
| color and tropical leaf development to | | | | |
| explore. | | | | The noted French Hybridizer in 1870, Luther |
| | | | Burbank, the famous American Botanist, noted |
| The naming of the Grand Opera Series of Canna | | | | in his book, Flowers, published in 1921 that |
| lilies, was, a flower hybridizer's colorful | | | | the Madame Crozy canna introduction laid the |
| idea of associating an Italian classical | | | | foundation for a canna hybrid industry to |
| musical treasure- The Opera—-with a | | | | rapidly evolve, since the flowers were |
| group of hybrid flowers. These new canna | | | | colorful and large and all existing flowers |
| hybrids, likewise, caused a sensation in the | | | | of known wild canna species had produced |
| garden lovers world, and the possibility of | | | | small insignificant flowers. All interest in |
| the commercial production of canna rhizomes | | | | growing canna as a garden subject had |
| made it possible for gardening Italians to | | | | previously come from an eclectic interest in |
| reasonably afford to plant the brightly | | | | the exotic tropical leaves, not from the |
| colored tropical leaved plants in their | | | | flowers. |
| yards. The brilliant idea of associating the | | | | |