My mom, Erika, grows the most beautiful calla lilies in her garden, and recently she cut some stems for me to take home.

As an afterthought, she threw in a few of the leaves. I’m glad she did because it turns out the blossoms and the leaves can work together to make some stunning arrangements.

Timeless Glamor

To me, calla lilies have a classic contemporary look. They always make me think of old-time Hollywood glamor.

It’s so easy to put them in a large vase, with the long-stemmed flowers towering above the big dramatic leaves, and have a striking arrangement worthy of a movie star’s dressing room.

I made this tall glass vase more stable by weighting the bottom with pebbles.

The Power of One

With a flower so beautiful in its simplicity, it’s nice to showcase just one blossom. Here I used one blossom, one leaf, and a sprig of bamboo to create this minimalist arrangement.

I secured the stems with a floral frog . . .

And then covered the frog with pebbles and water.

A Leaf in the Spotlight

A leaf can also be used to line the inside of a glass vase.

And if the leaf is backlit, say by a window, it’s a work of art in itself.

Pretty simple arrangements, all three. And none of the concepts I used are new, but that doesn’t matter. Because calla lilies give just about any arrangement a fresh, contemporary look.