Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival kicks off

Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival kicks off

2023-03-22

The 2023 Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival has kicked off and will run till mid-June. During the festival, there will be a series of DIY activities and even calla lily picking lessons. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us to a calla lily water field in Zhuzihu to learn how to make a bouquet from hand-picked flowers.

Before heading into a calla lily field pond you will have to change into this "frog jumpsuit" and rubber boots.

Once you’re all geared up, you can go out to the water fields to pick calla lilies.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
I am currently at a calla lily field in Zhuzihu. Calla lilies bloom here every March and April. After changing into this outfit, you can come down to the field and pick calla lilies.

The first step is to enter the field. After finding the flower you want to pick, lunge with one foot forward, and then slowly reach the bottom of the flower stem, and then gently pull the flower out. Here at this calla lily field in Zhuzihu, flowers are already in bloom. This calla lily field began 50 years ago. Visitors can get a lesson from the owner Lu Chih-ming to learn the basics of how to correctly and safely pick calla lilies, and return home with their own calla lilies.

Lu Chih-ming
Calla lily farmer
When you find a flower you like, lunge and move slowly to the end of the flower stem. Instead of grabbing the flower and pressing it down, reach down till your hand touches the water, then hold the base tightly and then pull up. When you pull it up, you have to make sure you stand firmly on your feet. Our field has a history of about 50 years since my father first started it. We used to cultivate calla lilies with traditional methods, but now with my daughter we are improving our methods and transitioning into eco-friendly farming. In the past, we used chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but now we don’t use pesticides, and it’s organic. March and April are the peak harvest period for calla lilies. It is now the blooming period, so the blooms will get better and better.

This year, the owner of the field has also designed several installations and seats for people to snap photos. There’s a mirror to create a reflection of the mountain and pond if you snap a photo. Many students have come to catch a glimpse of the beautiful blossoms and pick their own calla lilies to take home.

Member of the public
When you step into the pond, it is full of mud. It is a very special feeling. I was very happy.

Member of the public
It’s a little soft when you step into it, and you can’t really lift your feet up and walk forward, but it’s fun. And the flowers are very beautiful

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
After picking calla lilies, you can also make DIY souvenirs to take home.

Visitors can also participate in a DIY flower arranging class by wrapping their hand-picked calla lilies and other flowers into a bouquet while enjoying some afternoon tea. Lu Pin-fang, the daughter of the owner of the field, offers DIY courses inspired by her experience living in Italy for 13 years.

Lu Pin-fang
Calla lily farmer
When you come to class, there will be a small welcome gift and a small snack. After picking calla lilies, you can eat the small snack and wrap up the bouquet.

The Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival has already kicked off. This year, the festival features activities across more than 30 farms in Zhuzihu. For the first time, the organizers have also combined the calla lily and hydrangea seasons together to prolong the festival till June 18. The Taipei City government encourages people to take public transport to Zhuzihu during the festival period.