Albert's Greenhouse

Those of you ( yes, all three of you ) who are long-time readers of this excuse for a blog may have noticed that I report a lot on calla lilies, or the Zantedeschia. These native aroids of Africa grow exceptionally well in much of the San Francisco Bay Area where I live, and produce flowers for a large percentage of the year. Aside from the generic white calla, I grow a giant version and a new one for me - a scented white calla. I picked up my Zantedeschia odorata at the Berkeley Botanical Garden plant sale last year, and it's lived in a one gallon pot in front of my house since then. This late winter, it finally flowered for me, after producing a prodigious flush of leaves. I am happy to report that the light, almost citrusy, scent is very pleasing. It's supposed to be like freesia, which I suppose might be the case, though I don't really have a good memory for smells, and can't even remember if I've actually smelt freesia.

The plant does look a lot like the regular calla lily ( Zantedeschia aethiopica ) to the casual observer. it appears to have a shorter and more well defined flowering season, and perhaps a longer flower stalk. It is also very much more amenable to container culture than the more common version, at least in my short experience. I would not have expected such growth in a one gallon pot.