- Family: Araceae
- Subfamily: Aroideae
- Tribe: Zantedeschieae
- Genus: Zantedeschia
The most popular types of Calla lilies are:
- Calla palustris – This popular house plant is a domestic flower in cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
- Zantedeschia – Native to South Africa. Nowadays it is grown as a house plant.
- Zantedeschia aethiopica (calla lily) – Native to South Africa. It can be easily grown in the garden.
There are a lot of different varieties of Zantedeschia, and they can be roughly classified as ‘hardy’ and ‘tender’ depending on temperatures they can survive. Zantedeschia aethiopica is a hardy variety of this plant, and it can survive unbelievable temperatures of -13 F (-25 C).
How to grow and care
Temperature: These flowers can be rather picky about their temperatures. For ideal growing conditions expose the bulbs to days no hotter than 65°F and no colder than 55°F. The above ground plant can tolerate temperatures as high as 75°F. If your home is hot, use mulch to keep the bulb cooler in its pot.
Light: This plant requires plenty of bright sunlight during non-peak hours of the day. Provide it with a sunny window facing east or west for best results.
Watering: Zantedeschia aethiopica is a water loving plant. It grows best on the edges of ponds and in the mud. Because of this, your indoor lily will prefer moist conditions. Keep the soil always moist, but never allow water to sit in the container. Too much water will cause the bulb to rot.
Soil: Standard potting soil is a good mixture for this plant. Avoid potting soils with an unbalanced pH or too much fertilizer mixed in.
Fertilizer: Fertilize it during the growing season with liquid fertilizer or controlled-release fertilizer according to the label instructions. Stop fertilizer during dormancy.
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| source pic: Pinterest.com |
Growing Tips
Grow calla lily bulbs in well-drained soil, especially in spring, to grow best and to avoid bulb rot. In the ground or containers apply a monthly dose of an organic fertilizer during the growing season. Keep container bulbs well watered for best growth. Harvest flowers in the cutting garden as they color up and open for indoor arrangements.
Deer, rabbits and other animals seem to avoid calla lilies and the bulbs have few insect pests other than slugs and snails in shady spots.
Plant Care
Once calla lilies have stopped flowering and the foliage begins to die back in fall, dig up and store the bulbs in cold climates. Even if growing calla lily bulbs in a warm climate, every few years dig up, divide and replant the bulbs to stimulate better growth and more flowering. Bring containers of calla lilies indoors in fall in cold climates to overwinter in a cool, dark basement.
In cold areas, after flowering, cut back spent blooms to prevent them from setting seed. Let the foliage naturally yellow and start to die. Then dig up the bulbs. Remove the foliage and cure the bulbs in a warm room for a few weeks. After curing, store the bulbs in a 50F to 60F basement or room in a box or perforated bag filled with slightly moistened peat moss. Check monthly in winter for rotting bulbs and discard.
Companion Planting and Design
Grow calla lily bulbs in a flowerbed with other similar sized perennial flowers such as salvia, sedum, and lilies. They make nice front of the border plants. Even when not in bloom, the dark green leaves are speckled in white making them attractive as foliage plants. Don’t grow calla lily bulbs near plants that will spread or they will be overrun by mid summer. Grow Calla lily bulbs in containers with annuals such as geraniums, calibrachoa, and lantana for a hot, summery look.
Varieties:
The basic calla lily is a Zantedeschia hybrid. The most common variety features a yellow spadix (which is a long middle spike) surrounded by a white spathe, or a large sheath enclosing it. Recent breeding efforts, however, have introduced flowers with deep red spathes, or even mixed or speckled specimens. The typical calla lily will grow to a height of 36 inches outdoors, but shorter hybrids have been produced with Z. rehmanii that stay about 12 inches tall and are perfect for desktops.
