Calla (zantedeschia) is a large perennial herb that blooms in winter or early spring with large and very elegant flowers on tall, straight peduncles. In nature, there are many varieties of calla lilies, in home floriculture, mainly Ethiopian Zantedeschia are cultivated. In this article, we will talk about the reproduction of calla lilies, demonstrate a photo of various varieties of Zantedec and tell you how to grow homemade calla lilies in a pot to decorate your windowsill.
Coco Chanel’s statement is just perfect for the zantedeschia flower: “Modesty is the other side of elegance.” The erect inflorescence-ear and the unfolding leaf-bedspread are extremely modest, but how harmonious! Calla flower is universal, it can be presented to a man and a woman, boss and beloved, it will decorate an official reception and a romantic dinner.
The numerous, sometimes very bizarre names of this plant are mainly associated with the subtleties of transcription – the Latin name of the genus zantedeschia, given in honor of the Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi. Some growers pronounce it as “zantedechia”, others – “zantedeschia”, “tsantedeshia”, etc.
But there are names that characterize the external features of the flower; for example, the Ethiopian calla – compares the snow-white blanket of a calla lily with a spreading wing.
Zantedeschia Ethiopian
In nature, there are eight species of herbaceous perennials, distributed mainly in South Africa, in marshy areas. In culture, the most famous Ethiopian Zantedeschia (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and numerous varieties derived from this species, the so-called “white calla lilies”.
Also, the species that gave rise to “colored calla lilies” – calla Eliot (Zantedeschia elliottiana) and Remann’s calla (Zantedeschia rehmannii) – were also selected.
Despite the name, the Ethiopian Zantedeschia (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is native to the marshy regions of South Africa.
It is a tuberous plant with large arrow-shaped bright green leaves on long stalks and white “flowers”, which in their essence are only a funnel-shaped blanket, gently covering an inflorescence-cob of small yellow flowers. After pollination of flowers, the bedspread usually turns green. In indoor floriculture, this species is also good because the plant does not shed its leaves during the dormant period in the summer months. It is advisable to transplant this calla into open ground so that it gains strength better.
Zantedeskia Remann (Zantedeschia rehmannii) – a herbaceous perennial plant with a narrow funnel-shaped veil, the color of which can be of various shades, from lilac to burgundy.
Zantedechia Eliot (Zantedeschia elliottiana) “Brought” yellow colors to breeders. The varieties of “colored calla lilies” are characterized by smaller sizes (of the whole plant and peduncle), wide heart-shaped leaves and a period of deep dormancy in winter, when the aboveground part of the plant dies off and the tuber is removed to a cool, dark place.
Popular varieties of calla lilies and their photos
The most popular varieties of calla lilies, allowing you to appreciate the palette of colors and the sophisticated beauty of Zantedeschia, include the following:
Calla “Albomaculata” – a white bedspread and a light yellow ear.
“Anneke” – a purple-colored blanket and a bright yellow ear.
Calla lily variety “Black Beauty” – dark cherry, almost black bedspread with a thin scarlet “thread” along the edge.
Calla “Black Magic” – sunny yellow bedspread with a black spot in the back of the pharynx.
Zantedeschia “Black Forest” – burgundy-purple bedspread with the same ear.
Calla lily variety “Bolero” – a crimson blanket that turns into pink at the base.
Zantedeschia “Captain Rosette” – a bedspread of the most delicate pink color.
Calla lilies “Captain Chelse” – a purple bedspread with a pinkish tint and yellow edging.
Zantedeschia variety “Mango” – the veil is yellow-red, as if ripening.
Calla lilies “Magestic Red” – bedspread plain bright red.
Zantedeschia Calla Lily Care
Ethiopian Zantedeschia, which blooms at the end of winter, requires a lot of light, abundant watering and humid air. When caring for Zantedeschia calla lilies, it is better to use a wide pan, in which there will always be a little water and spray the leaves regularly.
In late spring, when the plant has faded, it is best to transplant the calla into the garden. This species does not shed its leaves during the dormant period. It is only necessary to remove the drying out old leaves and “thin out” some of the new offspring. In August, the calla is returned to the container and home. “Colored calla lilies”, blooming in summer, are planted in a nutrient medium in March, after winter storage in a refrigerator (in a fruit box) or basement and put out in a bright, warm place. Before the first leaves, they are watered moderately, and after that they provide the plant with abundant moisture (both roots and leaves). After the plant has faded, watering is reduced in proportion to the remaining leaves. When they are all dry, the tuber should lie a little longer in the soil to form a good protective skin; then it is dug up and stored.
Unlike bulbous plants, calla lilies do not like tight containers – the pot must be large enough, with light nutritious soil. It should be fed during the active growing season once every two weeks; at the beginning of the season – with a complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen, during the flowering period – with phosphorus and potassium.
Zantedechia is propagated by transplanting by separating the offspring and dividing the tubers (in calla lilies, it is better to carefully break the tubers into parts, each of which contains at least one bud). The break is sprinkled with crushed coal and dried.
Homemade calla in a pot and its photo
Zantedeschia is a unique plant. It looks great as a tapeworm in almost any room, it will not get lost in the composition of the flower arrangement, it will stand for a long time in the cut.
You can add zantedeschia to other flowers – it gets along well next to loaches or ivy.
Look at the photo of calla lilies in a pot, where various plants are collected – zantedeschia can play both a major role and a minor one.
Of course, it is much easier to buy homemade calla lilies in a pot already in blooming state, but it is much more emotionally “expensive” to grow such perfection with your own hands from a tuber. Callas have always been a talisman of marital happiness.
