Gardening : <i> Zantedeschia aethiopica</i> : Calla lily: Rhizome with white flowers that bloom in winter and spring

Calla lilies are undeniably, unavoidably elegant. The smooth, velvety “petal” (it’s really a spathe or bract) is a thin tube coming out of the stem, then flaring out around the golden central spike, which is covered with many tiny flowers that look more like coarse pollen than real blooms. It is one of the simplest and classiest flowers around--and one of the easiest to grow.

Books tell us, in no uncertain terms, that callas need plenty of water, lots of light except in hot afternoons and no frost. At least two of those three are wrong.

My Echo Park callas were in the front yard when I moved in, so I can claim no credit for their choice or placement. They were planted along the shady north wall of the garage in a yard that was otherwise devoted to drought-tolerant plants, such as agaves and aloes. Insufficient sun, completely inadequate water, according to the books. But 15 years later, those callas are alive and well.

I never dug them up, never fed them, rarely watered them. They are mulched every summer; that is the limit of my care. These callas are slightly smaller than a well-tended version, only about 3-feet high instead of 4, and they have moved away from the garage about 2 or 3 feet (no doubt following the light), but they are otherwise healthy and gorgeous.

So don’t hesitate; buy these rhizomes when and where you can find them, and plant them this spring (or next fall).

Frank Burkard of Burkard Nurseries in Pasadena says he will have his best selection of callas in February. Zantedeschia aethiopica is the common white variety, but callas are also available in pinks and yellows, some with unusual spotted foliage.

A red species, Zantedeschia rehmannii, is now available, but its purple variety is harder to find. “Green Goddess,” a recent calla introduction that is, true to its name, green-flowered, is now available in rhizomes and not just as container plants.

New Zealand callas are increasingly popular because of their size and color range (including bicolors). Burkard suggests customers with a specific type of calla in mind call ahead to make sure the plants have come in.

Park Seed Co., Cokesbury Road, Greenwood, S.C. 29647-0001, offers rhizomes of several species and varieties of calla lilies, including a bright red beauty with spotted leaves called Flame. Calla seeds are available from Park in Zantedeschia aethiopica “Giant White,” Z. albomaculata and Z. rehmannii “Superba.”