21 of the Best Calla Lilies for Sensational Blooms

The best Foxtail Lilies can grow to 7 feet tall and form clumps of outstanding spires of star shaped flowers with showy stamens.

Common Names: Spath, White sails, Spathe flower, Cobra plant

No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

I remember the first time I saw a calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). I was watching an old Katherine Hepburn movie, “Stage Door.” She swept into the room with an armload of calla lilies and, in her breathless voice, exclaimed, “The calla lilies are in bloom.” Ever since then, the classic beauty of calla lilies has fascinated me. The genus, Zantedeschia, was named in honor of the Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi. The common name, calla, is derived from the Greek word for beautiful.

Check out our list of the Best Desert Plants that will add a ravishing appeal to your home with little upkeep.

E. palustris, as its species name reveals, is a marsh-type plant, so wet and heavy soils are no problem for it (though it doesn’t seem to require them). Most spurges are finicky about such conditions. Not this one. It gets to between 2 and 3 feet tall and at least as wide.I grow seven or eight other Euphorbias, including the basic polychroma, its newer, red-foliage variant called ‘Bonfire,’ and the fiery-colored one called E. griffithii ‘Dixter’ [above]. In California, mail-order Digging Dog Nursery has a good list of spurges, but not palustris. I swore I got my most recent generation of plants at Forestfarm, but I don’t see it in their current list. Hmmm….how about Annie’s Annuals?The hardest thing about growing spurges is cutting them back,

Alexandra Stafford, who creates AlexandraCooks.com and wrote the cookbook “Bread Toast Crumbs,” recently shared creative ideas for using herbs, with lots of recipe links of her own and from cookbooks she admires. I’ve added ideas for storing them for offseason use. We also fill you in on which ones it’s not too late to sow again right now, this summer (even up North where I garden), and at the bottom of the story: links to get you to another whole directory of herb recipes Ali has compiled to accompany this conversation, herb by herb. Read along as you listen to the August 7, 2017 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below (or at this link). Enter to win a copy of Ali’s book “Bread Toast Crumbs” in the comment box at the very bottom of the page.cooking with and preserving herbs: a q&a with alexandra staffordQ. Are you up to your neck

Showy and vibrant, fiery Crocosmia flowers are ideal for the late summer garden, blooming for weeks when many other perennials are fading and spent.Summer-flowering corms, they quickly form vibr

Full of flavor and wonderfully aromatic, basil, Ocimum basilicum, is one of the easiest herbs to grow. Its pungent, peppery taste with a hint of licorice makes it popular in a variety of cuisines.This member of the mint, or Lami

One day in early May, I was driving past the hardware store. I glanced over in the direction of the gardening center and what I saw made me slam on the brakes.Finally, after months and months of dreary

Create a stunning display in pots and containers with these best lilies for pots and containers. Discover the perfect lilies that thrive in limited spaces, bringing beauty and elegance to your garden.

Long before the advent of electronic security systems, plants were used as “biological razor wire” to protect homesteads from marauding outsiders, or as livestock enclosures.By strategically planting thorny, spiky, dense b