Friday, March 10, 2006
The Giant Calla
I grow Zantedeschia "Hercules" in front of my house. This is, like all giants, a plant much desired by some, and a plant which has attracted a lot of rumor and exaggeration.
The calla lily in question is a selection of Zantedeschia from Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco. The plant came to them from Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, CA, and seems closely related to Zantedeschia aethiopica ( the common Calla lily ). Unlike the common form, it has white spotted leaves that reach the size of a serving platter, and is generally a very robust plant. The leaves on mine are only about waist high, and in the place it's growing it gets full sun, which may contribute to the flower stalk not attaining the advertised six foot height. It certainly seems to grow that high in the arboretum itself, but it's a bit more wet and shady there. The beautiful white flower is substantially larger than the typical callas growing on the other side of the path.
This spring ( if it can yet be called that ), my Hercules is showing signs of numerous offsets. Yellow tips of leaves are peeking out of the soil at the base of the plant. This is perhaps an indication that it is time to divide - to encourage more growth of the main stalk, and to offer some friends divisions.One thing I note about "Hercules" is that it is perfectly happy to flower when it's a small offset in a one gallon pot. In fact, I have a small offset in a one gallon pot I got from Strybing directly that just finished up flowering. This leads one to the conclusion that perhaps the plant in front of my house, despite its huge leaves, is not quite yet full grown.
Why do we try to grow the "biggest" one? Why is it that I have a gingko tree in a 3 gallon pot in my backyard? Why do I have the madake bamboo ( Phyllostachys bambusoides, mature height 72 feet, 6 inches diameter ) in a 20 gallon pot next to it? Why do I have not one, but two, Amorphophallus titanum in my six foot tall greenhouse? Why do I persist in starting baobab seeds? At least "Hercules" has a chance of growing to full size on my property without annoying the neighbors.
Comments:
<< Home
I too have the Hercules from Strybing but it is still very small and is still in a small pot in my kitchen window box. It has finally started to take off sending up new leaves recently while the other Zantedischias outside have gone to sleep.I'm going to plant where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade here in Fremont to see if it gets as big as it does in the park.If you walk the park you will find Hercules in several spots that are extremely large sections of this plant. It certainly is impressive even up by the library and seems to be doing quite well.I would agree with you about the weather being a factor in SF for this plant. Does this plant go dormant? The Amorphophattus titanum and Baobab's have intrigued me for years but I've never been able to locate seed or plants to try. My greenhouse is small and I grow all kinds of stuff including orchids.I think most gardeners try and grow all sorts of stuff. I also do dahlias.Cheers Joan Davis, Fremont, CA
# posted by 
: 10/07/2006 10:05 AM
: 10/07/2006 10:05 AM
I have Hercules Calla too, planted in the ground here in zone 7b on the eastern tip of LI. I left it in the ground, no protection, and it came back with DOZENS of pups in the spring. We moved to a new house in June, and I dug it up and brought it with me.
Our new neighborhood is INFESTED with deer, so I thought it would be a goner....deer salad. But lo and behold, it is completely deer proof, they never touched it! (although they did chew to a stub my beautiful Fatsia japonica 'Spiderweb' which is supposed to be deer resistant. Right. ;)
If you want it to grow HUGE like it's supposed to, it needs to be in the ground. It will never get to it's full size in a pot. It always needs ample moisture and LOTS of compost. I make my own compost and use leaf mold for mulch. I used about a half a cup of Osmocote when I transplanted mine, in a circular depression around the crown, them covered it with leaf mold compost.
I can't imagine how big it'll get next year when it has had a year to recover from transplanting. :)
...Joyce on the North Fork of LI, NY
Post a Comment
Our new neighborhood is INFESTED with deer, so I thought it would be a goner....deer salad. But lo and behold, it is completely deer proof, they never touched it! (although they did chew to a stub my beautiful Fatsia japonica 'Spiderweb' which is supposed to be deer resistant. Right. ;)
If you want it to grow HUGE like it's supposed to, it needs to be in the ground. It will never get to it's full size in a pot. It always needs ample moisture and LOTS of compost. I make my own compost and use leaf mold for mulch. I used about a half a cup of Osmocote when I transplanted mine, in a circular depression around the crown, them covered it with leaf mold compost.
I can't imagine how big it'll get next year when it has had a year to recover from transplanting. :)
...Joyce on the North Fork of LI, NY
# posted by : 12/04/2008 7:39 AM
: 12/04/2008 7:39 AM << Home
