Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Calla Lily

- Family
- Araceae
- Height
- 24 to 36 inches
- Width
- 18 to 24 inches
- Flower color
- Pure white funnel shaped spathes surrounding a yellow finger like spadix
- Foliage color
- Glossy deep green arrow shaped leaves
- Bloom time
- Spring to early summer, often April to June
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Consistently moist to wet soil
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flowers and yellowing leaves and divide clumps every few years to maintain vigor
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 8 to 10
- Wildlife
- Bees, flies and other pollinating insects
About this plant
Zantedeschia aethiopica produces clumps of broad, arrow-shaped leaves with a smooth surface and rich green color that create a lush, upright presence through the growing season. Rising above the foliage in late spring and early summer, elegant white, funnel-shaped blooms unfold around a central yellow column. The sculptural flowers open in graceful curves that hold their form for extended periods, creating a refined display among the bold leaves.
Native to southern Africa, particularly regions of South Africa and Lesotho, Zantedeschia aethiopica grows naturally in moist grasslands and along streambanks. In gardens it lends an elegant accent to borders, waterside plantings, and ornamental beds where the clean white blooms provide seasonal interest.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens · Rain Gardens · Cut Flower Gardens
Companion plants
Hellebores · Hardy geraniums · Hostas · Ferns · Astilbes · Foxgloves
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. It takes sun or light shade, which makes it useful along the changing light of a bed edge or a partly shaded border.
