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How to Care for Calla Lilies

January 21st, 2011

The sleek lines of the calla are perfect for line arrangements. Callas are frequently used in contemporary, deco, and Asian influenced design and are very popular in weddings. They do tend to be a little bit higher on the pricing scale but really add a lot of elegance to any arrangement or bouquet.

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Common Names: Calla, Calla Lily, Trumpet Lily, Arum Lily, Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Botanical Name: Zantedeschia, (zan-te-DES-kee-ah)

Availability: Year-round, peak supplies December through July.

Vase Life: 4 to 8 days.

Storage Temperature: 50 – 70 F

Colors: White, ivory, pink, yellow, green, dark purple, shades of red, orange.

Purchasing Hints: Purchase callas at the stage they are needed. They will not conti working2 nue to open after they are cut. Spathes should be smooth, firm and slightly curled, without bruises, brown tips or brown edges. The spadix should not be releasing pollen.

Conditioning: Cut stems with a sharp knife. Hydrate in a solution of warm water and commercial floral preservative / floral food for two hours before storage or usage. Be sure to only put them in a small amount of water and check often. The stem ends of the calla will split when held in water. This is not a problem. However, if you wish to avoid the split stem ends you can wrap the end in a bit of clear waterproof tape. Calls are heavy drinkers, check water levels in vases often.

The sap of the calla will stain clothing, and this stain will appear only after laundering the fabric. When making a hand-tie or wedding bouquet using callas, be sure to cover the stem ends so that the sap will not stain clothing.

Growing: The calla lilies grows from bulbs, or rather rhizomes, and will therefore, as most other bulbs, spread by producing even more bulbs. These bulbs can be dug up, and replanted in another location. The calla lily is a very hardy and strong genus that will grow in more or less any soil as long as it the climate is humid enough. In many of the countries from where the calla lily originates it is thought of as a weed and is ferociously cut down to make way for agriculture. The calla lily can also be propagated through its seeds but it takes a little more finesse than to just dig up those extra bulbs.

History of Call Lilies: The calla lily is a genus of twenty-eight different species all native to the southern parts of Africa with a tropical climate, from South Africa up to Africa aligned with the northern point of Madagascar. The genus calla was originally named by the famous Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus but as it became apparent that the genus needed to be split up, the German botanist Karl Koch named the new genus after his fellow botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi from Italy. It became a major hit in Europe and is still very popular, especially as a wedding flower, although it has been known to appear at funerals as well.

Tradition: Calla lilies are a traditional symbol of marriage. They revisit this meaning as the flower that marks a sixth wedding anniversary. The choice of lilies covers many major transitions in life. They are often used in funerals to express sympathy, purity the resto 20091003_hayward_0025 red innocence of the departed soul. Lilies are also strongly associated with Easter and the rebirth of spring.

Warning: The elegant calla lily can also be a dangerous flower. If it is ingested, it can be toxic. The calla lily contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense burning and irritation to the mouth, lips and tongue. It can cause vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Cats love to play with calla lilies and children may have a fascination with the flower.

Read more: http://www.gardenguides.com/77543-meaning-calla-lilies.html#ixzz1BiGJA67b and http://www.callalilyguide.com and http://www.ehow.com/about_4577464_calla-lily-have-symbolic-meaning.html#ixzz1BiGysQga