My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Zantedeschia - Calla Lily, Arum Lily

Zantedeschia

Calla lilies in my Direct Contrast design for the Floral Trends Design Group

Common name

Calla Lily, Arum Lily

Origin

South Africa, where the white flowers grows wild

Varieties

New varieties improve on vase life and are available in miniature. Increasingly more distinctive shapes are also available.

Colors

green, white, cream, yellow, dark purple, black, orange, mango, pink, and bi-coloured

Vase life

Up to three weeks. Tape the stem tip with water proof tape to keep the fleshy stem from splitting open.

Scent

slight floral fragrance

Uses

Fantastic to curve and drape. Also great for spiral designs. One of the few exceptions, when it comes to competition design where you can place a calla lily without a water source because it will remain turgid for days.

Conditioning

Calla lilies need deep water to hydrate properly. Give the stems a cut and set it in water to hydrate. When designing with callas make sure you protect surfaces from the sap as it will stain. The stain will be even more visible after washing! The stems ends will curl if you design the flowers in deep water.

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Related Designs

16 August 2023 Use the pull tab of a can to keep your floral details in place

Love anchovies cans. And if you fold over the pull tab just so it is perfect for keeping even longer stem flowers upright.

16 August 2023 Canned right after harvest

Pull tab support for "canned" Calla lilies and bunny-tail grass.

21 September 2022 Counterbalance elegantly leaning Calla lilies with dressed up Dried Autumn Details

Using those much treasured dried autumn details to bridge the gap between the bright green of summer and the brightness that is yet to come.

21 September 2022 Balanced Attitude

Getting the balance just so... so that you lean into the first sights of Autumn.

24 August 2022 Balloon out grass to craft a framed armature

Carefully bubble out a tied bunch of grass to make a cavity to display gorgeous flowers.

24 August 2022 Hot air balloon

A grass bubble to frame two of the most beautiful calla lilies.

29 September 2021 Over the edge flower, floral support

Hook the calla lilies over the edge of a vase to create a support for your taller floral details.

29 September 2021 Creative Direction

Hang the arum lilies from the edge of a container to support all the other floral details.

2 January 2019 Eucalyptus tinsel garland

Wire seeded Eucalyptus into a long tinsel garland.

2 January 2019 One New Year’s Wish

Wire a sparkling tinsel garland to dress up a single, elegant Arum lily.

28 November 2018 Crafting

The second design I did for my book launch demonstration looking at aspects that influences my effortless style of designing.

5 September 2018 Wisteria Vine Wreath Armature

Create a barely there armature with sturdy end of season vines.

5 September 2018 Wreath Vine Season!

Weave tiny wreaths on the stems of Wisteria vines

16 May 2018 Adjusting the curve in plant material

It is possible to curve or adjust a curve in plant material

16 May 2018 It goes like this...

Gently curve plant material.

30 August 2017 Standing a water tube at an angle in lumber

Create a minimal design by placing a single flower on a platform

30 August 2017 If

Place a water tube at an angle in lumber so that the Zantedeschia float just above the base to show off the delicate grass snippets scattered up the stem

15 March 2017 Wedding Welcome

My article and wedding direction board design featured in DIY Weddings Magazine

4 January 2017 New Year's Wreath

Decorate an artificial wreath with fresh flowers and frosted twigs

18 May 2016 Sealing water leaks

Petroleum jelly is both waterproof and not water soluble it creates a waterproof barrier to keep the water from leaking out of the vials when you hang it upside down. In fact,...

18 May 2016 Because I think I am making Progress

Create a floral ceiling

14 October 2015 Roll hundreds (yes! hundreds) of autumn leaves so create a natural, upright flower frog

Rolled leaves offer support for floral stems

14 October 2015 What a find!

Roll autumn leaves to create a frog to keep flowers upright

30 July 2014 See you around

Weave a few spheres to create a simple design

5 February 2014 Treasured Time

This is my article that I wrote for the Mother's Day Design Issue of Canadian Florist Magazine

23 October 2013 Their work well done

String Autumn leaves to fall down in a design

14 August 2013 Something Like This

Stack and glue a large twig rectangle to hang as room divider

20 February 2013 Designing with Mother Nature

Retail florists and wholesalers are already designing, ordering and preparing their product range for Mother's Day. This is my article that I wrote for the Mother's Day Design...

6 November 2012 Mr. Stalk, the Seriously Terrifying Scarecrow, on his Day Off

An easy going design of ripped grass and calla lilies. But look a bit closer. See if you can find Mr. Stalk relaxing somewhere between the blades of grass.

17 July 2012 Arum lily roll down

Open an arum lily up by rolling the funnel shaped spathe (petal) over

17 July 2012 Guacamole Green Coiled Grass Chameleon

My Chameleon is mono-botanical. Made from coiled grass

17 July 2012 So far so green

The only thing I needed to make these avocado green arums perfect was a small admirer...

13 October 2011 Direct Contrasts

I have always been fascinated, as a designer, by the idea that there is a point when extremes or direct contrasts flip into its opposite.

30 August 2011 Curving Calla Lilies

Follow the flower's natural curve but you can also curve only sections to create an elegant crescent or a curve at the tip of the stem

30 August 2011 Ichi-go, ichi-e

Freely translated it means Each Moment, Only Once. It is a saying associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.

28 March 2011 Arum Lily Demonstration at Durbanville Flower Club

August is Arum Lily Season in the Western Cape.