Spring Flower Bulbs

Calla Lilies – Perfect Spring Flower Bulbs

Remember, I am talking about spring flower bulbs, bulbs which are planted in the spring and bloom through the summer. The bulbs that flower in spring are called fall flower bulbs because fall is when you plant them. Fall bulbs come up in late winter, early spring and deliver the promise of warmer weather.

Having said that, a great favorite of mine when it comes to spring flower bulbs is the Calla lily or Arum lily or Zantedeschia, and this one can actually start flowering in late spring if it’s warm enough. This wonderful beast comes from South Africa and grows wild in the vleis (the wild). It is shaped like an ice cream cone and appears on top of a long, thick stem amongst luscious green or speckled green and white leaves. These days Calla lilies come in lots of colors and I love growing them from seed to see what combinations I’ll get. Getting from seed to flower takes a few years, though, so I always pick up a couple of bulbs (they are more rhizomes actually) each year to add to my collection.

I started collecting Calla spring flower bulbs again as soon as I moved to America. I have always planted them in pots where the leaves seem to grow much bigger for some reason but last year I also planted some in the ground and they did well. I see a couple of them shivering in my flower bed so they can obviously stand the cold although most of them are nestling underground (I’m not cold compared to New York but I gather they can stand up to zone 3). If I were anything below zone 6, I would dig up the rhizomes in fall and overwinter them in the shed. You’ll be amazed at how many babies there are.

I have always planted mine quite sparingly, like two to a pot, but you only get a couple of blooms that way. I’m totally jealous of the florists’ Calla lilies with multiple flowers but when I grow them on they don’t produce the same number of flowers the next year so they must get some pretty special loving in the hot houses.

Anyway, this year I am going to plant a few per pot to ensure a better show. My favorite is the deep orange one although the black comes a close second, especially the one with black edged leaves. Quite spectacular! The original Arum lilies grow in swamp land but also seems to thrive in coastal areas just because of the moisture in the air. If you look after them nicely, they’ll multiply like crazy.

Calla Lilies don’t mind sun or part shade.

Deer don’t like Calla lilies and I see my white ones are untouched by gophers far so I’m hopeful for the other colors.

Happy gardening and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By the way, here is a link to a list of gopher resistant plants:http://www.groundcoversandgardening.com/gopher resistant plants.

If you want to buy plants that deer probably won’t eat, look here.