"Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll."

- Unknown

About Calla Lily



    Calla lilies are one of the most lovely and elegant flowers.
    Their increasing popularity over the past few years only comes to underline this idea. A bunch of calla lilies is not only a wonderful sight but can be considered an exquisite gift as well. Calla lilies bear witness to the most important events of our life. These amazing flowers are present at the joyful as well as the sadder events of our life: baptism ceremonies, weddings, confirmations, engagements, birthday parties as well as funerals.     Calla lilies with their elegant and tender appearance delight our sight as well as charm our senses. These fabulous flowers are also my favorites. I am sure that I am not the only one; many persons prefer calla lilies to other types of flowers. Therefore, I dedicate this article to every person who loves calla lilies. I hope that by reading it, we will get to know more things, details about this flower. After reading it, hopefully we will be more familiar with calla lilies. Let me begin with the historical background.

    Calla Lilies originate from Africa, but we do not have exact records, of how or when were they introduced to Europe. Nevertheless it is a widely- known fact that Calla Lilies were very popular in Ancient Rome. Early Romans first and foremost used Calla Lilies to mark the passage of the winter solstice. Romans used to plant Calla Lilies inside the portals of their houses. They planted them in such a way, that they would bloom for winter solstice. Thus in the darkest days of the year, they had these magnificent blooming flowers, which created the illusion of brightness and light.

    Usually a great number of Calla Lilies planted alluded to the wealth of the resident that lived in that house. Romans valued and appreciated Calla Lilies for their beauty, and for them these symbolized purity, innocence as well as wealth, light and luxury in a way. As mentioned above, the more rich a person was, the more Calla Lilies were planted at his house. Any reader interested in this subject, can find out more in Martha Stewart’s Living, volume 2.History goes that calla lily was named after an Italian physician and botanist, Professor Giovanni Zantedeschi. Hence the botanical name of the flower is Zantedeschia. According to http://www.yalepress.yale.edu, during the second half of the nineteenth century, the exotic South African Calla Lily was introduced in the United States. Ever since its popularity has been rising, attaining incredible heights. http://www.flowersbulbs.com/history_calla_lily.php   

    After this brief history of Calla Lilies let us turn now to a general presentation of this flower. Zantedeschia or Calla Lily is a genus of the herbaceous, flowering family Araceae. They grow from 1 m to 2.5 m, and its leaves are 15-45 cm long. The inflorescence is in fact a spathe, which can be of white, pink or yellow color. Calla Lilies’ spathe can be imagined as a modified leaf or petal. The central spike is in fact the real flower. The common Calla Lily usually grows to 3 feet and produces snowy white spathes ranging from 4 to 6 inches across with yellow centers. Other callas are generally somewhat smaller, varying from 1 to 2 feet in height. These are called Minis.

    Calla Lilies are very popular garden plants, therefore in what follows I would like to put forth the growing tips. First of all, Calla Lilies should be planted deeply for their size. These should be planted at a depth of at least 4 inches, and bulbs should be 12 inches apart. It is also of crucial importance to apply a bulb fertilizer monthly during their growing season. It should also be noted, that after flowering calla lilies need a rest period. This means that water should be withheld until the leaves die back. The plant has to be left to rest for a period of 2-3 months before watering is resumed to encourage new growth. Moreover calla lilies need full sun exposure, rich, moistened soil. Their propagation can be solved from seeds, divisions in early spring or basil cuttings in summer. http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf57259201.tip.html

    Calla lilies are unique, elegant and fabulous flowers that have inspired many works of art. They are a recurring motif in Georgia O’Keeffe’s and Diego Rivera’s works. These paintings truly reveal the beauty and elegance of this flower. One simply cannot help wondering at how nature could create such a wonderful construction and flower. This amazing flower, with this simple yet intricate construction represents a source of inspiration for everyone. Every person with a sensitive soul can be touched by the beauty of calla lilies. A bunch of calla lilies can brighten a dull ordinary day and turn into an extraordinary one. Calla Lilies bring happiness, joy, brightness and love into our life. In my opinion calla lilies can even be considered the most luxurious and fabulous elements of the natural world.

    Bring some light and hope into your house, buy yourself a bunch of calla lilies!