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The callas are coming: Home and garden show will be abloom with calla lilies, an emerging favorite for home gardeners.
By Cynthia Whitfield. Photos by Bryan Wesel.For Special Publications
The majestic, pitcher-shaped calla lily inspires a grandiose vision for Peter Wilson.
"We're committed to bringing color to the world, one garden at a time," claims the co-owner of Vanveen Bulbs International in Portland. The company will bring a riotous cargo of fresh-cut calla lilies and other flowers to the home and garden show that runs through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Eugene.
Although the company sells a variety of flower bulbs, calla lilies are among the most popular, says Wilson. "People are finally realizing they can grow these flowers with good results. We tell people that as long as they pay attention to the instructions on the tags, they'll have beautiful flowers."
Both the traditional large white calla and the smaller colored calla are popular, says Yolanda Wilson, who created the business 14 years ago. "Most countries separate the flowers into two entirely different groups because they really aren't genetically alike," says Vanveen-Wilson.
The large white calla, Zantedeschia aethiopica, is the best-known variety. Used extensively in weddings, this beautiful funnel-shaped flower hails from South Africa. Plants typically reach a height of 3 to 4 feet.
Colored calla lilies, zantedeschia hybrids, stand 12 to 18 inches tall, and also originate from South Africa. Most bulbs sold by Vanveen Bulbs come from California originally. "I'm one of the few distributors of California callas in the area," says Wilson. The large white variety grow readily in Oregon, generally flowering from mid-June to October. Although they need lots of sunshine, they also do well with some shade, and generally flourish in wet or dry conditions. "The large white plants stay green almost all year-round, unless they freeze during a bad winter. But they'll shoot right back up in spring," explains Vanveen-Wilson. "They're the traditional calla lilies, the ones your grandmother used to have in her garden."
Callas of many colors. Colored calla are more trendy than traditional, come in a vast array of colors, and include miniature varieties, says Vanveen-Wilson. Under normal Oregon conditions, they remain dormant until mid-June, and need "intense heat to do well. They bloom all summer long, but can't get too wet or they'll rot. They should be allowed to dry out between waterings."
There's an easy way to distinguish between the two bulbs and remember how to care for them, says Wilson. "The big white calla bulb looks like a big raindrop which should remind you they don't mind a lot of moisture. The colored bulbs are round and flat like the sun. They need drier conditions."
The bulbs often have a bullseye-like marking. "When you plant them, remember the bullseye goes up. When in doubt, plant the bulbs sideways," advises Wilson.
The bulbs should be planted 3 to 4 inches deep in good compost soil, and do not require fertilization.
"Let them do their own thing," urges Wilson. "In a month or two, they should begin to bloom. If they're not blooming, usually it's because they're too deep in the shade."
Too much watering hampers the growth of colored callas. "Callas don't do well with sprinkler systems because they don't have a chance to dry out," explains Wilson. They should be watered only a couple of times a week.
"One misconception about colored callas is that they make good pond flowers. It took me years to stop landscapers from putting them in ponds at home shows," says Vanveen-Wilson. "It was terrible because customers kept wanting to buy them for their ponds, and I had to tell them it wouldn't work."
The hardier large whites are much better suited for ponds, as long as they're allowed to grow some foliage first. These flowers thrive "anywhere anything else grows, including weeds," says Wilson.
Every three to five years, white callas need to be divided to allow individual plants room to grow. "These flowers can build up a monstrous root system," explains Wilson.
Caring for both kinds of calla is easy. "Don't bother them," urges Wilson. "Don't dote on them, don't nag them. Just leave them alone and they'll do fine."
The red flame calla is a customer favorite, says Vanveen-Wilson. "It's really showy, and no two blooms are the same. They come in bronze, orange and red. As they open up, they go through all the colors. They're our biggest seller."
Other popular colors include purple, hot pink and yellow. "They're good for anywhere you want to see color in the summer," says Wilson. "Some of them, including the yellow and miniature white, have spotted leaves which are very pretty. People really like them. Even when the blooms are gone, you still have some beautiful foliage to look at."
The miniature white calla, which technically belongs to colored calla group, also is very popular. All callas work well in flower beds, borders and perennial gardens. They also can be cultivated in container gardens.
Vanveen Bulbs will offer a full selection of calla lily bulbs other bulbs at the home and garden show. CYNTHIA WHITFIELD is a freelance writer who lives in Eugene..
Yolanda Wilson is a 2004 graduate of the WSU Master Gardener Program and is also proprietor of Vanveenbulbs.com, a flower bulb company selling on the internet and at garden shows and farmers markets. She's always happy to speak to gardening groups about flower bulbs. You can find her each Saturday at the Beaverton Farmers Market (where she's been selling bulbs for 14 years) or e-mail her at info@vanveenbulbs.com.
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