calla lily perennial plant Zantedeschia aethiopica Whipped Cream

calla lily perennial plant Zantedeschia aethiopica Whipped CreamWe selected this extremely vigorous and stunning new calla from a batch of South African seedlings. Instead of having green foliage as is typical in Zantedeschia aethiopica, Zantedeschia 'Whipped Cream' has large green leaves that are heavily spotted with large white dots like blue jeans after a bad day of painting. For us, it tries to grow all winter, but is finally cut down by temperatures below 12 degrees F. In spring, the leaves burst forth again,

We selected this extremely vigorous and stunning new calla from a batch of South African seedlings. Instead of having green foliage as is typical in Zantedeschia aethiopica, Zantedeschia 'Whipped Cream' has large green leaves that are heavily spotted with large white dots... like blue jeans after a bad day of painting. For us, it tries to grow all winter, but is finally cut down by temperatures below 12 degrees F. In spring, the leaves burst forth again, topped in late spring with stunningly beautiful, pure white, funnel-like flowers. For us, the flowering ceases in midsummer, but resumes again in September and continues until frost. While Zantedeschia 'Whipped Cream' prefers moist sites, it performs quite well in all but the driest of garden spots.

Maintenance:

Calla lilies (Zantedeschia) are low maintenance. To keep them at their most attractive state, merely remove leaves and flowers as they fade. When grown in an area with alternating warm and cold spells in the winter, the lush growth produced by Zantedeschia aethiopica during a warm spell can be frozen by a cold spell; merely cut away the damaged foliage and they will soon put up new growth. They do not seem to be harmed by this interruption. The other commonly grown species remain dormant through the winter.

Growing Conditions:

Zantedeschia aethiopica is at its best when grown in a wet site. Indeed it will thrive grown in a pot submerged in water. Its performance in a drier location will be disappointing. Please note that this applies to this one species of calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica. The other commonly grown species:the yellow flowered Zantedeschia elliottiana, the white flowered, white speckled leafed Zantedeschia albomaculata and the pink flowered, Zantedeschia rehmannii will thrive in soils of medium moisture level. This also applies to the hybrids between these 3 species. All are winter hardy in zone 7 so the tubers can be left in the ground over winter.All want sun for at least half a day. It is best to remove spent flowers so seeds are not produced. Named cultivars could be swamped by inferior seedlings if the seed was allowed to drop and grow.

Natural Impact:

The flowers of calla lilies are of course very showy and dramatic. They are also superb cut flowers, lasting many weeks. The broad foliage of most species is also an asset, contrasting with finer textured plants. The white speckling of some species, or the gold striping of Zantedeschia aethiopica 'African Gold' is an additional ornamental feature.