| Notes: | Calla lilies are unique and elegant flowering plants that make a spectacular addition to the home or garden. They are also very popular choices for bridal bouquets and cut flower arrangements. White calla lilies are quite common, but these plants are also available in an array of beautiful colors including various shades of green, pink, purple, yellow, and orange. |
| Care: | You can grow this plant as a houseplant during the winter but it does best if kept cool (50F) and allowed to dry down between waterings. The danger here is watering a dormant rhizome will quickly lead to rot. Treat this plant like a dahlia. While I grew them in pots for several years, I never took them out of the pot. But I didn't water them after they were in the house, staying cool and dry for the entire winter. If you grow yours in the garden, dig up after a light frost and store cool and dry in sacks or dry peat moss. The trick is cool and dry.According to "Burpee: Complete Gardener", calla lilies planted outdoors grow best in USDA zones 7 through 10. They require full sun to partial shade, depending on the climate. The online article entitled "Garden Calla Lily Info", published by FlowerBulbs.com, suggests planting calla lilies in partial shade if the climate tends to be warmer. When choosing a location for planting, it should be taken into consideration that calla lilies average between 1 and 3 feet high and have a diameter of approximately 1 to 1? feet when fully grown, says "Burpee: Complete Gardener". Before planting, it is important to properly prepare the soil. "Calla Lily Growing Info" provides the following information on soil preparation and planting. It says adding mulch to the soil will help maintain a constant soil temperature. This will help keep the plant stress-free. Mulch will also improve the texture of the soil and help hold in valuable moisture. Calla lilies thrive in well-drained, loose soil. Calla lilies are grown from bulbous roots with finger-like growths. These are known as tubers. The article "Garden Calla Lily Growing Info" says calla lily tubers should be allowed to dry out in a well-ventilated location. After the tubers have been allowed to harden and the soil has been prepared, they should be planted at a depth of approximately 2 inches with the developing foliage pointing upwards. Calla lilies need 1 to 1? feet of growing space between each plant. After planting, thoroughly water the tubers. It is important to keep the soil evenly moist but not soaked. Depending on the variety, soil temperature, and weather conditions, you can expect calla lilies to begin blooming within 60 to 90 days. The article "Garden Calla Lily Growing Info" says in USDA zones 9 and 10, calla lilies can remain planted throughout the year. "Burpee: Complete Gardener" says in northern zones, after the foliage has withered away, calla lily tubers should be dug up and stored in a cool, dry location until Spring. They can be divided before storage as long as the cut portions are allowed to dry. Doing so will prevent the open wounds from rotting. "Yard & Garden Brief: Calla Lilies" suggests storing the tubers in an open bag or container in either perlite, peat moss, or vermiculite. When all danger of frost has passed, the tubers can be replanted, and they should be fertilized using a 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 fertilizer. |
