Beautiful and in high demand, calla lilies never disappoint. These blossoms have been treasured and appreciated for ages.
The rhizome bulb is the source of these plants’ showy foliage. The leaves have a bright green tint with white dots all over them. Admirers have likened the flower’s form to a trumpet.
The moist, meaty texture is reminiscent of autumn leaves. You can’t go wrong with a garden or bouquet decorated with these natural wonders. They’re so simple to care for that you can even keep one as a houseplant.
About 28 species of this plant exist, all native to southern Africa. The plants thrive in hot, humid environments. You’ll often see them during weddings and sometimes even funerals.
Calla lilies are fun to look at and care for because of their bright colors and distinct patterns.
Steps for growing Calla Lily effectively
You can achieve the right acidic soil environment for calla lilies to thrive on by adding old manure or compost to the planting area.
In countries with mild summers, they thrive in full sun but require afternoon, spotted or partial shade. Shadow hinders flowering, so it is not a good idea to plant there.
The spring is the best time to plant rhizomes. Hold off until the soil reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit and the threat of frost has passed.
You can start rhizomes inside the house in one-gallon pots and then transplant them to the garden 6 to 8 weeks before flowering.
Plant them in the late summer or early fall if you live in an area where they can thrive as perennials. However, keep in mind that rhizomes are often sold in the spring.
Here are the growing steps:
- Loosen the soil to a depth of 8 inches with a garden spade or fork.
- Mix in some mature compost using a couple of shovelfuls.
- You can add a shovelful or two of pea gravel or landscape sand at a time to help with drainage.
- To promote strong root growth, you can use bone meal to plant holes 2 to 4 inches deep.
- Spread the rhizomes out at a distance of 12 inches from one another.
- Place them in the hole so that the eyes or growing points, point upward.
- Fill the hole with soil and gently pack it down.
- Turn the garden hose’s spray nozzle into a shower to provide a soft, steady stream of water.
- The initial growth phase can last up to 21 days, but things move quickly after the first sprouts develop.
- Mulch heavily with straw or leaf mold once your plants reach 6 to 10 inches. This will help your plants retain moisture and suppress weed growth.
Calla lily container growing
You can start your flowers early by planting them in containers indoors during the colder months or early spring.
When grown in containers, calla lilies thrive. Create a stunning show by combining them with annuals. The containers should be fertilized once a month.
How to take care of Calla Lily
The attractive, rich growth of calla lilies requires consistent watering. Compost should stay moist but not drenched.
When the first calla lily flower stalks show, feed them a high-potash liquid fertilizer, such as liquid tomato fertilizer, every three to four weeks. Remove wilted flowers and their stems and leaves on a regular basis.
Feed and water the calla lily for a few more weeks after the flowers finish. Take care not to overwater until the leaves begin to die back.
Before the first frost, bring your potted plants inside and leave them there while they hibernate. If you have calla lilies in the ground, dig them up now and store the rhizomes in trays of just-moist compost in a cool, frost-free spot until spring.
Repot the plants into fresh, moist compost in late winter and set them somewhere warm to germinate.
Caring for calla lilies during the winter season
Shake off any soil before digging out the rhizomes in the fall, after freezing the ground. Give them a few days to dry out before putting away the rhizomes for the winter.
Store calla lilies in good condition until spring in peat moss and in a cool, dry, dark place. The same holds true for calla lilies; you can start them indoors in the late winter and move them outside in the spring.
How long does a calla lily plant last?
A calla lily’s expected lifespan depends on several variables, such as the plant’s genetics, environmental conditions and human intervention.
The average lifespan of a calla lily is 2 to 3 years when grown indoors and up to 5 years when grown outdoors in warm areas.
Depending on the care they receive and the conditions in which you keep them, potted calla lilies can bloom for 3 to 10 weeks.
In ideal settings, some calla lilies can maintain their beauty for up to 10 days, while others can retain it for 3 to 6 weeks.
In cooler regions, calla lilies will fade in the second to final week of summer, while in warmer regions, they will look beautiful until the very end of the season.
Since these plants are perennials, all you should do to prepare them for the coming year is remove spent blooms and dig up the rhizomes. Now you can start growing calla lilies from bulbs again and even multiply them.
Calla lily plants can be easily multiplied by dividing their rhizomes, which they do every year.
How to keep calla lilies blooming
Calla lily flowers need well-drained soil, consistent watering and partial shade to full sun to flourish and bloom for an extended period of time.
They are frost-hardy, but in colder locations, they may need to be dug up and brought indoors for the winter.
Do calla lilies need full sun or shade?
Depending on the climate, you can grow calla lilies in partial shade or full sun. Full sun and temperatures between 60 and 80°F are ideal for these plants.
Calla lilies prefer full sun, but if you live in a region where summer temperatures are often above 80°F, you should provide them with some shade.
Keep in mind that the recommended daily amount of sun exposure is between 6 and 8 hours. This means that the plants will spend some time in the sun and some time in the shade.
Partial shade, to be more precise, indicates that plants are under shade for at least half of the day but still receive at least 2 hours of direct sunlight. Calla lilies do best in partial shade during the day’s hottest hours.
Do calla lilies grow better in pots or on the ground?
Containers filled with calla lilies make lovely houseplants, patio centerpieces and seasonal bedding arrangements outdoors.
Plant just below the soil’s surface with the rhizome’s eyes pointing upward. Loam-based compost is ideal for container gardening.
Growing Tips
In order to maximize your flower harvest, consider the following advice:
- In warm climates, calla rhizomes can be kept in the ground over the winter, allowing the plant to rebloom in the spring.
- Callas can be grown as annuals and then dug up in the fall for storage over the winter in climates with cold winters.
- Once new growth starts after planting rhizomes, irrigate heavily to maintain soil moisture.
- Avoid using regular garden soil and invest in a high-quality growing mix for container gardening.
- Give plants afternoon shade in hot climates to keep their leaves from becoming yellow.
- Selecting larger rhizomes will result in fuller plants with more blooms.
Healthy plants and an abundance of blooms are the results of some routine care.
Conclusion
Calla lilies flowers look beautiful both in pots and as garden borders. The blooms look lovely when used in bouquets and containers straight from the florist. They provide your border, bed or patio with a taste of the tropics.
The finest aspect is that they are simple to cultivate and continue to look beautiful long after first appearing.
Growing calla lilies is simple, and they require little attention once established. They are a beautiful and easy way to bring color to your landscape or home.