Choosing an Arum

According to the pruning of the plant

Ranging in height from 30 cm to 1.5 m, Arums adapt well both in borders and pots. Be sure to consider this size criterion when making your choice.

• Small Arums – 30 to 50 cm

For lovely pot compositions to place near the house or on the balcony, consider small-growing Callas, such as the variegated Italian Arum ‘Marmoratum’, the Callas ‘Captain Trinity’ or ‘Lavender Gem’. You can also place them at the edge of borders where their superb flowering will catch the eye.

• Medium Arums – 60 to 80 cm

Versatile, medium-growing Arums, ranging from 60 to 80 cm in height, benefit from being planted in groups within perennial borders. Group them by variety to create vibrant colour patches, such as with ‘Captain Murano’, bright orange, or ‘Captain Samba’, vivid pink. ‘Captain Melrose’ reaches about 60 cm in height and, like other Callas, can thrive in cool soil near a water feature, or even partially submerged during flowering. You can also plant it in a pot for a long-lasting effect from May to August!

• Large Arums – over 80 cm

The tallest Callas are focal points in the garden, irresistibly drawing attention with their sometimes impressive growth. Opt for Zantedeschia aethiopica or the giant Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Himalaya’, with pure white calyxes that can rise up to 2 m above the ground.

The small Zantedeschia ‘Captain Trinity’, the medium Zantedeschia ‘Captain Murano’, and the true giant Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Himalaya’!

According to the flowering period

If you want flowering to start early in the season, in April-May, choose the variegated Italian Arum ‘Marmoratum’. Most begin their flowering in May-June and continue to bloom until August. You will have a choice of many varieties from our collection of Callas or Arums.

The Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Himalaya’ and ‘Black Magic’ finish their flowering a little later, in September.

According to the colour of the flowers

The flowers of Arums can be white, yellow, pink, orange, red, dark purple, or variegated. At their heart grows a yellow or orange spadix. To make your choice among the many cultivars, lean towards your favourite colours and consider the associations in the garden, not only among the Arums themselves but also with the plants already in place.

• White-flowered Arums

Among the lighter varieties, the Zantedeschia ‘Crystal Blush’, whose white flowers are edged in pale pink and open to reveal a small black heart surrounded by yellow, the Calla palustris, which is very hardy, the Zantedeschia aethiopica that adorns itself with large white trumpets in late spring, and the giant Ethiopian Arum Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Himalaya’, a giant perennial that raises its large white trumpet flowers to human height.

• Red, orange, salmon, and yellow-flowered Arums

The orange tones are found in the Zantedeschia ‘Captain Murano’, which bears floral stems of 50 cm with dark orange flowers strongly tinged with carmine red, or ‘Captain Fuego’, notable for its bright orange flowers with golden yellow backs, all washed with varying degrees of red. Also, the Arums ‘Mango’ and ‘Auckland’ with copper-orange flowers. ‘Red Alert’ is a flamboyant variety with raspberry red flowers, and ‘Majestic Red’ with beautiful crimson red flowers that bloom in summer.

• Yellow-flowered Arums

The Zantedeschia ‘Solfatare’ and ‘Black Magic’, which is a lemon yellow Arum, well-suited for pot cultivation. Also consider the very lovely ‘Black Eyed Beauty’, cream yellow speckled with black on the inside.

• Purple, mauve, and pink-flowered Arums

Among the Callas, this colour palette ranges from soft pink with the Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Pink Flamingo’ and ‘Captain Marrero’, to a more vibrant pink with Zantedeschia Rehmanii and ‘Captain Samba’. But it also leans towards lavender mauve with the variety ‘Lavender Gem’ and dark purple with ‘Captain Reno’.

• Arums with unique flowers: green, black, or bicoloured

If you are looking for originality, consider varieties with unique flowers, such as the Italian Arum variegated ‘Marmoratum’ which produces a whitish-green and yellow inflorescence in spring, giving way in late summer to a compact cluster of intensely red berries, the Calla ‘Schwartzwalder’ of almost black purple colour, or the Zantedeschia ‘Selina®’ with butter yellow flowers delicately infused with red-orange on the edge.

The colour palette of Arums is varied and allows everyone to find their chosen cultivar

Depending on the type of foliage

Callas develop a dense and generous foliage mass, with a beautiful deep green colour. To enhance their ornamental aspect, you can choose variegated or speckled varieties such as Zantedeschia ‘Captain Murano’, ‘Auckland’, ‘Selina®’, ‘Picasso’, or ‘Captain Marrero’.

Variegated foliage of Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum’ (on the right) and the speckled foliage of Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Himalaya’ (on the left)

Based on hardiness

Calla or florist’s Arum is native to South Africa. It has acclimatised well in Europe and can be grown in the ground, where it will develop over the years. You can easily plant hardy Arums such as the variegated Italian Arum or the Calla palustris (down to -29 °C).

Colourful hybrids, on the other hand, are less vigorous but are particularly more sensitive to cold; therefore, wintering the rootstocks or pots in a cool, airy place is sometimes essential. At the beginning of winter, lift them from the ground with a fork to avoid damaging their rootstocks and store them once dry and free of soil in a dry room, protected from light and frost. For potted specimens, move them indoors as soon as the first cold weather appears, in a bright, cool, and airy location, without winter watering to induce a period of dormancy for the plant.