Flower of the Month Club

Past Newsletters

Vol 2 No 5

Green Goddess is not just a Salad Dressing!

Our primary flower for May is a famous hybrid Calla Lily called Green Goddess. It's a very unusual lily with spathes (flowers) that have a striking and out of the ordinary color combination… emerald green with white blotches or streaks, and a white heart. The flowers are larger than the typical ivory Calla Lily. With this regal flower you can't help but create a sophisticated eye-catching arrangement!

All Calla Lilies belong to the Araceae family, and most members have sword-shaped leaves and colorful spathes or bracts (we call them flowers). Cousins of the Calla include Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Skunk Cabbage, Sweet Flag, and Caladium. The leaves of the Calla, which are formed at the end of celery-like stalks, are heart-shaped and have a rich, dark green color that may be speckled. The flowering stems rise above the foliage. Those of the common Calla usually spire to 3 feet and produce snowy white spathes 4 to 6 inches across with yellow centers. All other callas are somewhat smaller, varying from 1 to 2 feet.

Callas Lilies, in their native habitats, are most often found in shallow water or bogs. In these conditions, they will form healthier clumps, but they can also be grown on land, and in pots. As you will see, the Green Goddess makes an excellent cut flower. We are sure you will enjoy the unsurpassable elegance of its graceful, sleek shape.

Carnations are making a strong comeback with designers and after seeing this exquisite gem, I can see why. I just can't take my eyes off these flowers! A new hybrid carnation, this flower is sometimes called Chinese Mini Carnation. The fuchsia and black-rimed velvety petals do, in fact, remind me of a butterfly fluttering its silky precious wings. Can you imagine what a whole field of these flowers would look like… right out of the Wizard of OZ!! And the lovely fragrance, so sweetly perfumed that my nose keeps going back for more. Thankfully it's not chocolate!

Green Goddess An Extremely Robust Variety

It blooms mid summer to frost, and flourishes in semi-shade and rich, moist, slightly acidic soil. With an especially sheltered spot, and careful attention, these lovely primordial flowers may be grown as far north as Zone 7. Since the Green Goddess, Zantedeschia aethiopica, can't endure temperatures below 10 degrees F, they are often grown in containers in many regions.

If you've decided to pot your Goddess, plant three Calla rhizomes in a 12" container. They actually produce more flowers once they start to become crowded and root-bound. Lift the Goddess in fall and store her indoors in a cool, dark spot over winter. You can count on them to strike a graceful and elegant pose when set on the ledges of a pool, beside a reflecting pond, or on a patio.

This plant is unusually adaptable. You can grow them successfully in a flower border along with other bulbs and perennials, but The Goddess also grows happily at water's edge, or potted up and submersed - pot and all - in the shallow end of a pond. You can even grow it without the pot in a pond if you keep it towards the water's edge.

Plant 2-3 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Plant it in partial shade and give it plenty of water throughout the year. To encourage continuous bloom (and thus continuous cut flowers), feed monthly with a balanced fertilizer that is slightly higher in phosphorous. You will get a great deal of enjoyment for many months including them in large dramatic flower arrangements, or showing off your artistic side by arranging just a few of them in a stylish vase.

Butterfly Mini Carnations Steal the Show!

Mini hybrids are strong flowers with an excellent vase life, but keep them away from ripening fruit or vegetables. Many cut flowers, are susceptible to ethylene omitted by the ripening process, and they will quickly wither. With proper care, the average vase life of a Mini Carnation is 14 to 20 days.

Some say the name carnation comes from an old Italian word meaning complexion because the earliest Carnations had flesh-colored petals. The Mini Carnation's botanical name is Dianthus Caryophyllus… Dianthus is Greek for Flower of Love

Minis are great in rock gardens… they are native to alpine habitats

Carnations were first discovered in the Far East. These flowers are widely mentioned throughout Roman mythology and even appear in the natural history records of the Roman writer Pliny, back in 50 B.C. It is believed that cultivation of the carnation began in the late 13th century, by Roman monks who saved seeds from the better varieties, which aided in the carnation's development.

Mini Carnations have 3 to 7 flowers per stem and the diameter of their bloom is about 1.5 inches. All plants would develop as minis if they were not disbudded. "Disbudding" means removing all developing buds except one that becomes a large flower.

Spice Up Your Garden With Colored Callas

Colored Calla Lilies can add a splash of life to any garden. Today's hybrids range in color from gold to orange, pink to burgundy, and apricot to red-and many shades in between. In contrast to the traditional white Calla Lily, colored Callas are planted in the spring, bloom in the summer, and continue to die down in the fall (referred to as senescence). A few basic gardening principles can make your experience with these Callas as enriching as they are colorful.
Upon arrival of your colored Callas tubers, unpack and let sit in a single layer on a dry, well ventilated area for a few days. This allows them to dry and "harden" prior to planting. They will have shoots or growth tips on top of the bulbs, and the bottom of the tuber is round.
Plant tubers 2" deep with the shoots pointed upward. Callas require a loose, well-draining soil. In cooler, milder climates, callas perform with greater growth and vigor in full sun. Full sun also encourages brighter and richer bloom color. In warmer climates, though, they should be planted in partial shade to avoid excessive soil temperatures.
Mulching your soil will also aid in controlling soil temperature and aid in stress management of the plant. Colored Callas need a moist soil medium. It is important that soil never completely dries out, nor is water sodden. Your tubers should begin flowering 60-90 days after planting. This date can vary significantly depending on outside and soil temperature, as well as the hybrid cultivar. In general, the larger the tuber, the taller and more blooms you can expect.
The shorter potted varieties can produce as many as 20-25 blooms per premium-sized tuber. Depending on the cultivar, your Callas can continue blooming for as long as 6-8 weeks! After flowering, continue to water and fertilize. This period is when new tuber growth occurs and the time when they build up energy for next year's flowers.
Colored Callas are not as hardy as the Green Goddes. In USDA zone 9 and 10, your colored callas can be carried over in the ground during the winter. In cooler climates, your tubers should be dug up and stored in a cool, dry place for the winter. This dormancy period is important in the development of a healthy vigorous tuber.
The minimum storage time is 10 weeks, although they can be stored for as long 8-10 months without detriment. After the storage and dormancy period, they can be replanted.

Keep Your Goddess Smiling

Colored Calla Lilies are known for a very long vase live, among specialty cut flowers. Under favorable conditions, they can last up to 2 weeks and quite possibly beyond. Flower care, though, can have a large impact on the vase life of a flower.
Your bouquet is harvested one day prior to being assembled and sent that same day, 2 Day Express. The flowers are harvested before they bloom so they will travel at optimum conditions, and open just after you receive them. The flowers are shipped dry to prevent bacterial growth during shipping, and they will need to be rehydrated.

To rehydrate flowers, make a clean, 45 degree angle cut about an inch from the bottom of the stem under warm water. This allows the stems to draw in water as you cut them, and it prevents air pockets from forming inside the stems and blocking water uptake.
Remove any leaves that will be below the waterline and use a clean vase to avoid bacteria growth. (I always rinse mine in a light Clorox solution before putting them away.) Fill your vase with warm water and add the flower food included in your shipment. We provide two 10 gram food packs in each shipment so that you will have enough each time you change the water. Follow the directions on the packet because too much food can be as bad as no food.
Always place your flowers in a cool spot, away from direct sunlight and heating or cooling vents. Avoid places that are under ceiling fans, or on top of appliances or radiators. Appliances like televisions give off heat, causing flowers to dehydrate and loose several days of life.
The Goddess will drink a lot of water, so check the water level daily and if you need to add water, make sure it is room temperature. If the flower food solution becomes cloudy, replace all of the water, recut the stems, and rub off any decomposed plant material under running warm water.
Recut stems every few days by removing one inch each time you change the water in your vase. If a stem tends to curl, cut it more often. And remember to do it under water to prevent air pockets.
Check periodically for dead flowers and remove them… they will promote bacterial growth which will kill your flowers!

Magnificent Purple Vistas

We have included Sterling Heather (grown in California) in your bouquet. Typically we associate heather with the heather moors of England and Scotland, but there are several budding American Heather Societies that are fostering the introduction of new varieties all over the USA. Frankly I was a bit overwhelmed to see the seemingly infinite variations of size, form and color of the flowers and foliage. There are over 800 varieties of heather! And I definitely plan to add several to my garden. (The best web site to find out more about heathers is http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/heather/.)

Did you know that there are heathers that bloom in the dead of winter when there is little else of color in the garden? In fact it is possible to have different varieties of heathers in flower every month of the year! And their flowers can be found in a bewildering range of colors from white to the palest pinks and lilacs, and of course bright crimson and purple. Some plants have foliage that turns bright red, orange or rich chocolate in the winter months. Heathers like acid soil and often can be found with dwarf conifers to give a garden texture and color.

Traditional Heathers thrive in cool climates found in England, Scotland, Northern Europe. They like the winter snow cover for protection from icy winter winds. Hot summers are not well tolerated, so you won't find them in the far south except in higher and cooler elevations. Among the over 800 varieties, there are also temperate heathers that have been brought in from South Africa. They have magnificent blooms and do well in regions that do not have heavy winters (zone 7).

Planting Tips

A heather garden should not be in the shade for all or most of the day and, if possible, facing south.
Planting on dry sites or under trees should be avoided.
Bold plantings of groups of 5 or more of each cultivar give a good overall effect.
Use single cultivars, chosen to contrast or complement for small gardens.
Beds should be of informal shape with no straight edges.
Use 4 plants per sq. yard.
Plant Heathers deeply with the lower foliage resting on the soil surface.
A peat mulch or pine needles, which are naturally acidic, will help to keep the bed free of weeds.
All Heathers benefit from an annual pruning