Featured Flower: Cala Lilly

Calla lilies emerge again each spring on stately stalks, unfurling like flags, heralding spring and announcing warm sunny days to come.  Their trumpet-like shape, created by the spiral unfolding of one large milky petal (spadix), also resembles a pitcher of cream.  The flowers carry a mild, sweet and slightly liquorish sent.  Their single protruding yellow spathe and concave shape give them a decidedly feminine shape which has been the subject of such artists as Georgia O’Keefe and Diego Rivera.  Although not native to California (but Africa), they are often found dotting the countryside–especially near our foggy coast and other sources of water.  Because calla lilies can be found encircling many old farm houses, it is likely that many of our rogue returning blooms were planted by past settlers.

Calla Lilies are associated both with happy and sad occasions, weddings and funerals alike.  Common meanings are rebirth and purity and the flower is tied to Greek legend.   A single bloom is a lasting image of a loved one.  Here you can see a wedding bouquet I made which won a local design contest, indicating that far from being old-fashioned, a calla lily is still a potent symbol of our hopes for the best in this life and the next.