Featured Plant of the Week (Calla Lily)

Calla Lily

This week we are beginning to stock summer calla lilies for the fall. A popular choice as houseplants and cut flowers, they are best known for their trumpet shaped ‘petals' and bright colors. Long lasting and easy to care for, they are an excellent choice even for an outdoors setting. Coming in a variety of whites, purples, pinks, yellows and oranges, it's easy to find callas appropriate for any situation.

Calla Lilies are also called Arum Lilies, or sometimes Pig Lilies. Interestingly, they are not actually callas nor are they really lilies. The reason they are called this is that in the past they were grouped into the Calla genus of plants. However, botanists found they were sufficiently different to warrant their own genus, called Zantedeschia. The genus was named after the Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi, who first discovered and described four of the 28 species that are now members of it.

Calla lilies are native to southern Africa, where it is actually considered a weed because of how rapidly it spreads and overwhelms farmland. It mostly occurs in marshy, or lake and riverside locations. One species is even partially aqueous and will grow in the water, though most others prefer drier conditions.

All varieties of the plant produce showy and colorful horn-shaped blooms, some times even twice a year: once in late spring and again in the fall. The flower is not actually a flower though, and is instead called a spathe. A spathe is actually a type of modified leaf, which surrounds the spadix. The spadix is the stem in the center of the spathe, and possesses the plant's real flowers.

Calla lilies are pretty easy to take care of. The different species can have diverse needs, but the varieties sold here in BloomRite® Gardens are straight forward in their requirements. Indoors, bright indirect sunlight with a temperature from about 50°F to 60°F is ideal. Be sure to keep the potting mix moist, as allowing it to dry out will stress the plant. In coastal climates they can be planted outside and even in direct sunshine in cooler places. If it gets much hotter than 65°F, place it in some partial shade instead.

Exercise some caution if you have young children or pets, as calla lilies contain calcium oxalate, which is poisonous. Seek the help of a physician if it's ingested.

4" and 6" Calla Lilies are available now at BloomRite® Gardens. 6" Callas are priced at $7.95 per pot, and 4" are $3.95 each. 4" Calla Lilies are sold in flats of 15 plants. Call ahead to find out about available colors and the different styles of foliage.