Calla Lily Flowers Care & Growing Guide

This is a very beautiful, classy, and elegant flower that is easy to grow indoors or outdoors. 

The Calla Lily produces gorgeous blooms and foliage.  What is there not to love about this plant? 

They start from a planted bulb and grow into this beautiful plant.  Calla Lilly flowers are not hard to grow or take care of.  

Calla Lily Flowers Care & Growing Guide

1. Light Requirement

This flower thrives in full sun, both indoors and outdoors so it is very essential to make sure they have this to bloom.  They also will thrive in partial shade in the warmer climates.  For colorful Calla Lily flowers, you need indirect, bright light.

2. Water

It is a flower that loves water so you may consider planting it along the edge of a water source if you have one in your yard, such as a pond.  The Calla Lily flower loves moisture but does not handle soggy soil.

Once the flowering has stopped, do not water as much to allow the plant to die back.  They need a dormant period after flowering ceases.  If you have it in a planter, move the plant to a dark area at this time and do not water.  You can resume watering in two to three months.

3. Climate

The Calla Lily flower grows great in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a through 11.  If you are growing colorful Calla Lily flowers, the USDA Hardiness Zone should be at least a 9.

4. Soil

For a Calla Lily flower, you need to make sure that the soil has the proper pH, which would be 6.1 to 6.5.  Growing it in a planter, you can use just the standard soil mixture.  Planting indoors or outdoors, you need to make sure that the soil is on the acidic side.  You should run a soil test on the outdoor soil before you plant the bulb.

You generally do not need to fertilize the plant as much as some others because it will do better if you do not fertilize it.  If you want to, make sure that it is a weak solution.  You also need to make sure that the soil is loose and will drain well, especially in a planter.

5. Temperature

Although the Calla Lily flower loves full sun, they also love mild days without cool or overly warm temperatures.  According to its Hardiness Zone, they can tolerate temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. 

6. Repotting

The Calla Lily flower handles repotting well. To start new plants you can use the offsets or cut tubers from the plant.

7. Speed of Growth

After planting, it can take eight weeks before you see the flower stalks shooting up.  It will take another couple of months before you see blossoms.

8. Height and Spread

A Calla Lily can grow to three feet tall and spread from 18 to 24 inches after the foliage fully leafs out.  In some cases, it can spread to 36 inches wide.  

9. Flowers

The flowers are trumpet shape and have a light fragrance.  They range in color from white to pinks, purple, orange, blue, yellow, and more.  Every color symbolizes something different.  For example, the white Calla Lily flower means pure and innocent.  The purple ones mean passion and charm and pink is for flirting.

10. Trimming

When you trim a Calla Lily flower, do it after the bloom has withered but do not do it in early spring or late autumn.  If you do it during these times, you will eliminate any potential blooms.  You should not trim more than a third of the stem each year.  Ideally, each plant should be one to two inches in diameter with 8-12 stems of different ages.

In the spring,  you should just remove any dead branches that did not survive the winter.  You do not have to cut off the entire branch.  You just need to trim the dead part.  Use a sharp knife to do this so you do not crush the branches that are healthy. 

Is Calla Lily Flowers Poisonous?

Yes, it is toxic to your pets.  It contains insoluble calcium oxalates and causes throat and mouth irritation plus excessive drooling if your pet accidentally ingests the plant.  For humans, the entire plant is poisonous if ingested.  It can also cause skin irritations in some so when handling the plant, wear gloves.

Can Calla Lily Flowers grow in Water?

They cannot grow in water but you can start new plants in two inches of lukewarm water.

How to get Calla Lily to Flower?

To get them to flower, you need to make sure that you deadhead the plant, which means removing the spent flowers.  This will help the Calla Lily flower to make new buds for the next season.  Snap off the flowers once they start to fade.

More like this:

• Hyacinth Flowers Care & Growing Guide
• Sunflowers Care & Growing Guide

Common Calla Lily Flower Diseases

Calla Lily flowers are prone to a variety of diseases, including:

• Root rot—this comes from overwatering, so to prevent it you need to watch how much you water your Calla Lily.  If you have it in a pot, you have to make sure that you have the proper drainage

Also read: Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata) Care & Growing Guide

Conclusion

• Because Calla Lily flowers can be large, make sure when you plant them that you space them 12-15 inches apart and planted about four inches deep.
• To keep it cooler during the warmer months, you can mulch the Calla Lily flower.
• The Calla Lily flower makes an excellent border plant and adds interest to your focal point.
• Do not use long-term applications of fertilizer.
• To help ensure that your Calla Lily flower grows, you just need to have the right location and plant it properly.
• When you plant Calla Lily flowers outdoors, do it in the spring after the soil has warmed and the threat of frost has passed.
• In a warmer climate, the Calla Lily flower can remain in the ground but in the cooler area, they should be lifted and stored, then replanted in the spring.  You should dig them up in the fall.  The soil needs to be shaken off and allowed to dry for a few days before you store them.  Store them in peat moss during the winter months.