Guide to growing Arum lily - Zantedeschia

Zantedeschia are beautiful plants that are usually grown as annual in the garden thought they are half hardy perennials.

Zantedeschia range in height from 30 to 90cm and have large arrow shaped leaves.

They bloom in the early summer when they carry exquisite funnel flowers consisting of white, pink, yellow or red petals surrounding a spadix that can be purple, white or yellow.

Some of the common varieties of Zantedeschia that are grown in the garden include Arum Lily, Lily of the Nile and Calla Lily.

How to grow Arum lily

Zantedeschia species such as Arum lily and Calla lily can be grown from rhizome of seeds; plant Arum Lily rhizomes at about 5cm deep and 30 to 40cm apart.

If growing Arum lilies from seed then it is best to start off indoors. First soak the lily seeds for a day in warm water, then sow on the soil surface at the start of spring. It will take about one to three months for Arum lilies to germinate at a temperature of 21 to 28 degrees centigrade in the light. Once ready transplant the young Arum Lily seedlings in the spring well after the last chance of frost. Ideally the soil that Arum lilies grow in will be acidic, humus rich, and enriched with manure.

Caring for Arum Lilies

It is easy to look after Zantedeschia species such as Arum lily and Lilies of the Nile. They require regular watering to keep the soil moist, and as they are quite hungry they should be fed regularly with a liquid fertilizer during the growing period. If you require more plants then propagate Arum lilies by division of the tubers in the spring.