Hi Karen,
Where did you get your Hercules from?
Is it the one with spotted or unspotted leaves?
I have 'White Giant' from PDN. I got it last June, potted it in a large 5 gallon pot, fed it well. It grew actually it is still growing in my SW facing window. I had 3 blooms, one got killed by frost. It has spotted leaves so it must be a Z. albomaculata cultivar...
I plan to trial it outside when I have enough offsets...
I read of Z. var. 'Hercules' on the International Aroid Postings when I was randomly browsing the archives year by year. I know it is the unspotted leaves...
I would like to find a good source of Z. var. 'Hercules'
I live in the Buffalo, NY area, near Lake Erie, placing me in zone 6
Cheerios :-),
KA

KA, I don't have it. Wondering if it is worth the $.
If it can't get that big in zone 5 what's the point of investing in it?
I did see a site for it- but it was sold out.
I'm not thinking about getting one now-dreaming ahead to next year- while my garden is covered under inches of snow....
Karen

The original "Hercules" was an aethiopica with speckled leaves first displayed and named at the Strybing Arboretum.

You can easily tell the albomaculatas and hybrids sometimes sold as "Hercules" since they grow from smooth potato-like tubers rather than rhizomes like aethiopica. The albos never get anywhere near as big.

PDN's "White Giant" looks like it's at least the same strain of aethiopica as "Hercules", but rightfully shouldn't be called that unless they were propagated from the plants at Strybing.

Keiko

Hello all!
Sounds like my 'White Giant' which PDN said in the catalog was found in a private garden of a plantsman/writer in California.
It is possible that this gardener did buy his plant somewhere with no label/title???. The catalog said that the gardener had his walkway lined with these. Check out the PDN website for the full description and photo. This description and photo matches my plant perfectly as it has met my expectation as it grew.
In fact this vigorous plant is right next to me as I type this entry still growing!!!!!!
I wonder if it ever goes dormant or is it in a southern hemisphere growing cycle?
The plant was tiny when I recieved it this past spring. I repotted it twice, now it is in a 5 gallon pot. Next spring it gets the whiskey barrel!

Karen - if you have a large pot or a whiskey barrel, consider buying one from PDN, if they have it now -- if not they will again! Definitely worth the money!

I would love to find information on this cultivar and also hear from other growers!
KA

The whiskey barrel is a good idea. I think a full grown one will take at least a 20 gallon container.

In their native habitat it's their natural cycle to flower and then go dormant for 8-12 weeks during the summer dry season. This dormancy promotes more vigorous growth and flowering. In Dallas it's best to follow this schedule since they get stressed from the extreme heat and the rhizomes become more succeptible to bacterial infections and rot. In cooler climates you can do this anytime it's convenient or difficult to maintain good growing conditions as they are daylength neutral.In areas with cooler summers than Texas, planting in the ground and then digging them up and storing dry for the winter gives them the same benefit. They really aren't at all fussy like some of the hybrids :)

Keiko

Sounds nice, but this thing flowers and continues growing like it never heard of dormancy. I tried cutting back on water, but it grows on!
In fact, about 3-4 weeks ago, we had a couple of feet of snow dumped here south of Buffalo, NY that covered my Zants, Helicodiceros, arisarums and Ambrosinia. I dug them out, and brought them in. they are in sw facing windows now. I figured since the 'White Giant' had been growing since spring it would want to "go to sleep"!
Nope, I trimmed the frost bitten leaves off, it has since replaced them!
I find it interesting since Tony Avent wrote in the PDN description " except that this selection has been doing some really good steroids"
I agree with that as it grows on and on!
BTW I also have a cultivar that I ordered from Dutch Gardens that is supposed to be a giant variety. I have another that I bought at a local plant show that had giant in it's label. Both of these are the green leaved variety or the Athiopica type. They never bloomed and they are still growing and growing...
Cheerios :-)
KA

It's really silly to argue with the success of someone growing a palnt a world away from it's natural habitat.

Here in Dallas, aethiopicas do extremely well as a winter houseplants with an eastern exposure. A SW exposure will surely scortch, if not BBQ them behind glass on a sunny winter afternoon.

In your situation, I would not try to force them into dormancy "because they're supposed to" unless they stop growing or refuse to flower.

Keiko

KA - I am interested to know what medium you are growing that giant in?

Susan

Susan,
I am growing it in pro mix. I feed with bulb tone, bloom booster and I feed like an amorphophallus!
HTH,
:-) KA

Ah, the teacher/researcher got the best of me! Saturday night, I "googled" Zantedeschia 'Hercules' and got several pages of information. Of course, you will have to "sift" through all the information, but there is a lot!
Aroidmania will do this to the affected!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was able to find enough for my growing Aroid file!
Adios, :-)
KA

I'm getting a portable greenhouse and will have it partially heated in the winter. I'm interested in forcing calla atheopica (good size white ones) Do the rhizomes need a cold-forcing period prior to planting? Thanks.

Does anyone have any of the giant Calla Lily varieties for sale now?

I grew the White Giant (spotted version) outside in WI, zone 5 and it grew up to my waist. I'm 5'5"

honeybunny ~
Did you plant your 'White Giant' outside and leave it out through the winter? I noted that you did not say it was in a pot.
What protection strategies did you use?
I have one and am considering planting an offset outside. I am near Buffalo, NY.
~ Gerry

My plant came from California. I purchased it on Ebay. It is the white spotted type, and I was told it was "Hercules". So far it is about 3 feet tall and is starting to grow an offset, but still no flowers.This one also has never gone dormant, so it is grown in a 3 gallon pot with Promix and kept inside for the winter.
Garbird

Hi I grow about 8 different colors of calla lily I have even started some from seed but it takes about 3 years before they flower. This year I have over 3 hundred bulbs of all sizes they are so easy to start by seed i don't understand y the price is so high. I bought some of mine for 8 dollars each so now I sell them for about 3 dollars each. If you want to pictures of them e mail private at vlorna49@videotron.ca Anna