Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Calla Lily: Rethinking a Bridal Bouquet Flower

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
Calla LiliesIssue 26 — Independence Day

Calla Lily: Rethinking a Bridal Bouquet Flower

July 7, 2017

Calla lilies were go-to wedding flowers even before Cornelius Vanderbilt’s great-great-granddaughter, Consuelo, got married in 1926 in her family’s Fifth Avenue mansion in a candlelit drawing room that was, as the New York Times put it, “heavy with the scent.” Silver-ribboned calla lily bundles bedecked the mirror-paneled room as the bride walked down the aisle in a silver lace gown.

Tastes change. (Certainly Consuelo’s did; bridegroom Earl Smith turned out to be the first of four husbands.) And calla lilies—which aren’t really lilies, by the way—deserve a spot in the garden and a place in an everyday vase. No bridal bouquet necessary:

Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.

We cut stems from calla lilies in my garden in Northern California.
Above: We cut stems from calla lilies in my garden in Northern California.

Horticulturally speaking, calla lilies are members of the Zantedeschia family. Native to southern Africa (and perennial in USDA growing zones 8-10), calla lilies have large, colorful leaves—called spathes—which we think of as flowers. But the real flowers are the tiny blossoms on the spadix in the center of the spathe.

 Growing Calla Lilies

With their graceful trumpet shapes and mottled colors, calla lilies are easy companions in a garden bed.
Above: With their graceful trumpet shapes and mottled colors, calla lilies are easy companions in a garden bed.

Plant Care: Calla lilies like soil that is moist (but well drained) and warm; plant them after the last frost date.

Sunlight: Plant them in a spot where they will get bright, indirect light.

Sources:  Some of our favorite calla lilies include yellow Zantedeschia ‘Callafornia Callas Flame’ and Zantedeschia ‘Callafornia Callas Pink Melody’ ($11.50 apiece from White Flower Farm; both ship for spring planting).

Caring for Calla Lilies

In the garden, calla lilies require good drainage and regular water.
Above: In the garden, calla lilies require good drainage and regular water.

Although we call them lilies, calla lilies are not member of the Lilium family. Calla lily hybrids are available in a wide spectrum of colors, including yellow, gold, purple, mauve, pink, and white.

How To: Calla Lilies in a Vase

One benefit to growing your own calla lilies is the leaves. When you buy calla lilies from a florist, you typically get leafless stems. When you grow your own, however, you can add their foliage to the vase.
Above: One benefit to growing your own calla lilies is the leaves. When you buy calla lilies from a florist, you typically get leafless stems. When you grow your own, however, you can add their foliage to the vase.

For our non-bridal arrangement of calla lilies, we chose a black vase as a neutral backdrop to the colorful lilies.

Calla lily leaves are floppy and soft. To keep them from drooping over the sides of the vase, we wound a rubber band around the base of a bunch of leaves.
Above: Calla lily leaves are floppy and soft. To keep them from drooping over the sides of the vase, we wound a rubber band around the base of a bunch of leaves.
After we established a base of leaves to support the arrangement, we added stems one at a time.
Above: After we established a base of leaves to support the arrangement, we added stems one at a time.
You really can&#8\2\17;t go wrong when it comes to mixing colors of calla lilies. Their soft, mottled shades complement each other.
Above: You really can’t go wrong when it comes to mixing colors of calla lilies. Their soft, mottled shades complement each other.
We gave each stem a fresh, angled cut to help it drink the water in the vase.
Above: We gave each stem a fresh, angled cut to help it drink the water in the vase.
We kept the arrangement loose and casual to give each stem some air.
Above: We kept the arrangement loose and casual to give each stem some air.
  Calla lilies look like an explosion of fireworks in the vase. But be warned: they are a short-lived cut flower; after two or three days the colors start to lose their vibrancy.
Above:  Calla lilies look like an explosion of fireworks in the vase. But be warned: they are a short-lived cut flower; after two or three days the colors start to lose their vibrancy.

N.B.: No more flower stereotypes. See other flowers we’re giving a second chance:

Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for calla lily with our Calla Lily: A Field Guide.

Interested in other bulbs and tubers for your garden or indoor space? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various bulbs and tubers with our Bulbs & Tubers: A Field Guide.

(Visited 276 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
Add to Collection
New Collection

Product summary  

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

Trending on Remodelista: At Home with a "Girls" Director

July 7, 2017
Next Post

Current Obsessions: Summer Still Life

July 8, 2017

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on Instagram Logo

gardenista_sourcebook

Sourcebook for Cultivated Living, sister site to @remodelista
Tag us using #gardenista 🌿🌱

Gardens & Outdoor Living

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack