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Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Gene's Giant' (Giant Calla Lily) - A robust herbaceous perennial that forms a large clump of arrow-shaped leaves that grows to 5 feet tall with an equal height stem bearing a single very large white flower (technically a bract called a spathe that surrounds the spike of fragrant yellow flowers in the center that is called a spadix). This is a real giant of a calla lily! This species of calla can be evergreen on the coast if irrigated during summer months but is otherwise summer dormant. In colder climates it can freeze back with a frost but quickly recover. In coastal irrigated gardens flowering is often year-round or in late winter to early summer if not irrigated.
Plant in full coastal sun or light shade with seasonally or year-round moist soil. Tolerates near coastal conditions, summer drought, wet conditions and winter cold. It can freeze back with a frost but quickly recovers and is suitable to a dry garden as it persists as a summer dormant plant in cool coastal gardens without supplemental irrigation but is also useful in well-irrigated gardens or along the edge of a pond where it can remain more evergreen. It can also grow as a foliage plant in deep shade where it likely will not bloom as much. Flowers and leaves are excellent for use in arrangement that lasts a long time when cut and submerged in water. Though animals eat this plant and African indigenous people have boiled and eaten plant parts, all parts of this plant are considered poisonous because they contain microscopic, sharp calcium oxalate crystals.
For more information on this species see our listing for Zantedeschia aethiopica. The selection 'Gene's Giant' was made at San Marcos Growers in 1999 after it came up in soil reused from our production dump pike was used for a container planting. This calla emerged and quickly took over the planting and was noted as being larger than a typical Calla Lily. We named it for our shipping manager Gene Leisch, who had created many of our interesting container plantings and was the one who first inadvertently potted this plant up. We were able to build stock on it to begin selling in 2003 and it has amazed everyone with its robust size ever since.
This information about Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Gene's Giant' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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