<i>Arum italicum</i> 'Pictum'
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- GunnilaH
- Mary Lou
- Carol Wallace
- Marge_Talt
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» GunnilaH - Hi Marge - I was instructed here by Josephine who edits the area
Hi Marge - I was instructed here by Josephine who edits the area of plant life. What is the main difference between Zantedeschia and Arum, and which of all the spathe-forming perennials is the MOST hardy? -- I am in Sweden, but it is not THAT cold here. Perhaps Zone 4 at the worst. I can also provide lots of winter protection next to my house.Gunnila Hanson
-- posted by GunnilaH
» Mary Lou - Gunilla, I don't want to speak for Marge, but I think Zantedesch
Gunilla, I don't want to speak for Marge, but I think Zantedeschia is not winter hardy. You would have to plant the bulbs/tubers in the spring and they would bloom that summer. I garden in Zone 5, and the Arum is hardy here. The only problem is the deer like it also.Mary Lou Gripshover, Daffodils
-- posted by Mary Lou
» Carol Wallace - Zantedeschia isn't hardy for me here in zone 5b, either -- I pla
Zantedeschia isn't hardy for me here in zone 5b, either -- I plant it in spring and dig it up every fall.One spathe-forming plant that has been hardy for me is Jack-in-the-Pulpit.I'm blocking on the Latin name at the moment, but Marge has an article on it in the "articles" section of her page. Carol virtually gardening
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» Marge_Talt - Hi Gunnila, Welcome to Gardening in Shade. As a child, I vis
Hi Gunnila,Welcome to Gardening in Shade. As a child, I visited Sweden during summer and remember it as a beautiful country.
To answer your question. While both Arum and Zantedeschia are members of the Araceae family of plants, they are each an entirely different genus, with several separate species. Both have an arrow shaped leaf, but from the plants that I grow, the Arum leaf is wider at the base and larger than those of Zantedeschia.
The flowers of Zantedeschia (The Calla Lily) are quite different, being more "flower" like and not as spathe like. The petals curve back from a vase shape rather than the hooded "jack-in-the-pulpit" shape of Arum and Arisaema.
Also, while Arum like damp soil, most Zantedeschia like bog conditions and many grow well in ponds.
Arum italicum, A. maculatum and A. creticum are hardy outside to USDA zones 7, with A. italicum to zone 6. None of the Zantedeschia are considered hardy farther north than USDA zone 8, although I understand some are surviving outside in the Pacific North West and I have read that some survive outside in the southern parts of the UK if planted in ponds.
As for the hardiest members, without doing some research to corroborate this, my guess would be various species of Arisaema. I know that A. triphyllum (our native Jack-in-the-Pulpit) is hardy to USDA zone 4 and I think there are others who are as well.
Most members of the Araceae are tropical plants, grown in most parts of the world as cool greenhouse pot plants or plants that are lifted and stored in a frost free place over winter.
I think your best bet would be A. triphyllum, which is easy to grow -- not really picky about soil as long as it has organic content and will take sun, especially in colder climates. They are native to my woods and put themselves in all sorts of spots in my basic clay soil. They are also easy from seed, especially if you can get fresh seed.
Marge
Gardening in Shade
-- posted by Marge_Talt
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