As part of my birthday celebration in April my husband took me to Napa to enjoy both the orchid show and something called "Magical Callas".  We followed the directions we'd received, parked the car and, lo and behold, were in an alley lined with an array of colors like you wouldn't believe.  I stepped out of the car and exclaimed, "Frida Kahlo would love this!" 

The alley in question is fondly known as Calla Lily Alley and it is the labor of love and gift to the community of one Ginger Harness.  For each of the past 19 years she has been surprising her neighbors with a walk-stopping, jaw-dropping display around Easter time.  She has cultivated surely 50, ....60, ....lots of calla plants and as spring brings them into bloom each year she and several friends spend hours each day painting the lilies.   What a sight!

If you are not familiar with the common calla-which is not a lily at all- (Zantedeschia aethiopica), it is a large, stately, white, leaf-like flower (called a spathe), which surrounds a yellow, finger-like center (called a spadix).  It is a native of South Africa, tolerates many different soils and loves water.    In hot climates like Vacaville, it will appreciate a little shade in the afternoon, but can enjoy full sun and is evergreen in mild climates.

In addition to the common (white) calla, there are hybrids in bright golden yellow, rosy pink and salmon.  But with a few cans of paint you, like Ginger, can have just about any color you choose.  Ginger uses Design Master Floral spray paint (available at craft stores), which is non-toxic to plants and does not affect their bloom life.  She has also devised several special "tools" that help her keep the paint where she wants it.  She uses heavy craft paper as a shield around each bloom, fastening it with clothespins, and uses little cardboard tubes to cover the spadix so that the pollen is left clean and available to the bees and other beneficial insects that work in her garden.

Whether you have callas or not, you would surely enjoy a visit to Calla Lily Alley.  It will be visible again when the callas bloom next year--probably from late March through April.  There are several little videos of Calla Lily Alley on YouTube if you'd like to see and hear about the garden now.  And if, by chance, you would like to volunteer to paint with Ginger she would love it.  As it is, she and her small group of current volunteers spend several hours each week painting the new blooms as they open and they would love to have more help--even just for a single day.  You can contact her now at gingerh2500@sbcglobal.net  and she'll let you know when the callas are ready to be painted.  Otherwise, do drive over and see the garden next spring at 4028 Rohlffs Way, Napa.