Calla Lilies are famous the world over for their elegance and beauty as both cut flowers and home décor flowers. They have a trumpet-like or conical shape which, together with a wide array of beautiful colors, make them a favorite for florists and homeowners. Here's what you should know about Calla Lilies. It's hard to care for something you know nothing or little about. Read on!
What are Calla Lilies?
Also known as trumpet, pig, or arum lily, Calla lily belongs to the Zantedeschia aethiopica family native of South Africa. Calla Lilies are available in a wide array of shades like white, pink, orange, purple, green, yellow, and red. The plant is a perennial bulb that, in better conditions, becomes an invasive plant.
There are 28 species of Calla lilies in the African continent, with most growing in marshy areas. They are resilient enough to grow inside water and through cold seasons, hence, not in danger of frost. They are, therefore, easy to grow and maintain. Typically, they bloom in late spring and last for several weeks.
Generally, Calla lilies do well in partial shade or full sun and moist, rich, and well-drained soil. They make a great addition to your flower bed, vase, or potted plants. All you need is to keep the soil moist and well-drained. They grow as perennials propagated from bubs in warm regions without frost during winters. You can still replace them annually in the other areas, as you may lose them to frost. To plant your lilies, you can wait until the frost has passed, or you can keep them in the darkroom during winter to keep them dormant.
Types of Calla Lilies You can find in Hong Kong
As mentioned earlier, numerous Calla lilies the world over, with each blooming into a different color. For this reason, they are popular in flower arrangements, standalone as a bouquet of lilies, or while blended with other flowers. The following are the varieties available in Hong Kong;
- California ice dancer
This variety of Calla lilies grows up to about 0.5 meters tall. Its elegant creamy white flowers are relatively larger and lovable. The leaves offset the white blooms perfectly as they have a much darker hue of green than most varieties.
- Fire Dancer
The variety is one of the most ostentatious varieties. The flowers are reddish-orange, blending with golden yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. Their leaves are sizeable mid-green with white spots, which together make an elegant addition to your garden or bouquet.
- Pink Melody
Like all the other Calla lilies, Pink Melody calla bursts into bright rosy pink flowers with a delicate ivory green blend at their base with large dark green arrow-shaped leaves. They grow up to 24 inches in moist soil and full sun.
- Acapulco Gold
Also known as the yellow lily, the Acapulco gold calla does well in full sun to partial shade. The leaves are green with white spots, and its bright yellow flowers grow and a long stalk which makes them perfect for cut flowers.
- California Red
This variety of Calla lilies produces deep magenta-colored flowers.
- Night Cap and Night Life
It’s a variety that gives you the elegance and mystery of a dark shade. Its flowers are deep purple, perfectly blended with the large green leaves.
- Crystal Blush
This Calla variety resembles the Pink melody variation, but its blooms are slightly whiter.