How to Grow Calla Lily Indoors or Out

About Growing Calla Lilies in Your Home Garden

The Calla Lily plant is a joy to grow. You can grow them outdoors in a flower garden, or in a container on your patio or deck. And, an easy-to-grow Calla Lily houseplant is a wonderful and rewarding plant to grow in your home. The tubular flowers brighten up any room with a wide variety of cheerful colors. Outdoors, these long-lasting flowers bloom for six to ten weeks or more. This guide on “How to Grow Call Lily Plants” shows you just how easy they are to grow.

The blooming of bright and beautiful calla lily flowers is certainly a thing to behold. Their cheerful flowers, in a wide variety of colors, will bring a smile to your face and to passersby as you gaze upon them. That’s why the calla lily plant is so popular in home gardens.

This popular tropical plant is grown as an ornamental plant and for use as cut flowers. It is not considered a true lily. Calla lilies are perennials in warmer regions, and grown as an annual in colder parts of the country. After blooming they eventually die off in late summer. Then, they regrow next spring.

Native to Africa, they were popular in Ancient Egypt for ceremonies and burials. Egyptians believed the flower brought good luck and fortune. During the Middle Ages in Europe, they were popular at weddings. Calla Lilies are a sign of chastity and purity. White lilies are also a sign of innocence and new beginnings.

When giving Calla Lilies as a gift, put some thought into the color you select. Each color signifies a different meaning.

Did You Know? In some parts of Africa, calla lily plants are considered weeds!

Calla Lily Plant Specifications

Flower Colors: Shades of blue, coral, green, maroon, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. And, there are some multi-color varieties. White is the most common.

Flowers Bloom: Mid-Summer. Spring planted blooms 6 – 8 weeks after planting.

Plant Height: Twelve to twenty-four inches tall.

Native to: Africa

Light Requirements: Full sun to partial sunlight.

Ideal Soil pH: 5.5 – 6.5.

Hardiness Zone: 8 – 10.

Toxicity: Yes. This plant is toxic to humans and pets.

Nuber of Species: 11

Botanical Name: Zantedeschia

Other names: Arum Lily

Calla Lily Meanings

Like roses, Calla Lily flower colors have specific meanings. When giving them as a gift, make certain to know the meaning of the flower color you select. They are:

Black signifies magic, mystery, and the underworld.
Blue, signifies magic, mystery, and the unknown.
Orange represents desire, fertility, and passion.
Pink represents gratitude, love, and romance.
Purple calla lily flowers symbolize power, royalty, and wealth.
Red symbolizes love, passion, and desire.
White represents innocence, purity, and new beginnings.
Yellow symbolizes friendship, happiness, and joy.

Are Calla Lily Plants Edible?

NO!! All parts of this plant are toxic.

Consumption can cause serious throat swelling and difficulty in breathing.

Medicinal Uses for Calla Lily Plants

Despite being a toxic plant, Calla Lilies have medicinal applications. Here are some of them:

Use it as a dressing to treat wounds.
Treatment for skin ailments.
Treats some respiratory ailments.

CAUTION: Due to the toxic nature of this plant, we strongly recommend you do not attempt to make homemade remedies from this plant without the proper education and training.

Light Requirements

The plant needs full sunlight for at least part of the day to bloom. Grow Calla Lilies in full sunlight to partial shade. Give them 6 to 7 hours of bright, direct sunlight. Ideally, select a location that offers a little afternoon shade, especially in hotter areas.

When growing call lily flowers indoors, give them bright, indirect light. Often, it is challenging to provide Calla Lily houseplants with enough sunlight to bloom.

Calla Lily Plant Propagation

Calla Lilies are grown and propagated from rhizomes. Plant them four to five inches deep, and a foot apart. The rhizomes will grow and spread over time, producing new plants.

In warmer regions, they do not need to be dug up in the Fall. Avoid overcrowding them. After a few years, dig up the rhizomes, separate, and replant them.

You can also propagate Calla lilies from seeds. However, it takes much more time to germinate and grow these pretty bloomers to the flowering stage. As a result, most homeowners grow them from rhizomes. And, more than a few homeowners buy established plants, often already in bloom. Then, they carefully transplant them into the flower garden.

How to Grow Calla Lilies

Plant calla lilies in the spring, after all danger of frost has past. Select a planting location that offers full morning sunlight and ideally a little afternoon shade from the hot sun. The plants grow best in rich, loose, and well-draining soil. Select a slightly elevated location where the soil does not get wet or soggy for a long period of time. While calla lilies tolerate wet soils better than most plants, prolonged periods of wet soil can cause the rhizomes to rot.

Dig a hole about six inches deep. The plants are heavy feeders. So, initially mix in plenty of compost into the planting site. Set the rhizomes into the hole four to five inches deep. Then, cover them with garden soil. Water the planting site thoroughly. Now the wait begins! In just a few weeks the calla lily plants emerge and begin a steady growth. The flowers bloom in about two to three months after planting the roots.

After the plants emerge, water them as needed. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Early in the season, they may not need any additional water until hot and dry weather arrives in your area.

Begin a fertilizer regime as soon as the plants emerge. Fertilize the plants monthly during the growing season. Begin with a balanced fertilizer. Then, just before the blooming period, switch to a high-phosphorous fertilizer. It is important to note that high levels of nitrogen in the soil, results in fewer or no blooms.

Keep the area well-weeded. Add a thick layer of mulch to help keep weeds down, and to retain soil moisture during dry summer months. Also, as the mulch decays, it feeds the plant.

The plants bloom just once each season. So, deadheading the blooms does not result in more blooms. However, it makes the plant look better for the remainder of the growing cycle.

How to Grow Calla Lily as Houseplants

Growing calla lily houseplants are rewarding when grown indoors. Their cheerful blooms brighten up any room and are guaranteed to brighten your mood. They also look great in containers on your balcony or deck.

Like other container plants, they require a little extra attention than when planted in the garden outdoors.

First, purchase healthy rhizomes or young plants from your local nursery, or online.
Use a flowerpot with drain holes in the bottom. This allows excess water to drain so the roots will not rot.
Fill the flowerpot with rich potting soil to feed this hungry plant during its first weeks in a container.
Keep an eye on the moisture level. Do not let the soil dry out between waterings. Check the plants every few days especially when grown in outdoor containers during extended periods of hot, dry weather. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. Excess water will drain through the hole in the bottom of the flowerpot.
Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a liquid fertilizer every 3 – 4 weeks.
Repot call lily houseplants as needed.

Note: It is normal for a Calla lily houseplant to die off a few weeks after the blooming period. You can place the flowerpot out of sight during the dormancy period. A cool garage works best. Then, you can bring it back indoors in the spring.

Pruning Calla Lily Plants

Calla Lily plants generally do not need pruning during the season. Remove and dead or sickly leaves. And, remove the spent flowers for a more attractive appearance.

Insects, Disease, and Other Plant Problems

A variety of insects occasionally infest the plants. This includes aphids, Japanese beetles, mealy bugs, and spider mites. Treat the plants with insecticidal soap or neem oil as needed.

Plant diseases are uncommon.

As mentioned previously, the rhizomes can rot in extended periods of wet or soggy soils.

Overwintering Calla Lily Plants

After the blooming period is over, allow the plants to continue to grow as long as possible. Resist the temptation to cut them down for the season as they become more and more unsightly. During this period, the leaves generate energy and send it back to store in the rhizomes for next years’ growth. In late summer when the plant has died for the season, cut it back to the ground.

Finally, do one of the following:

For warm weather regions:

After cutting back the dead plants, there is nothing you need to do. However, you may want to mark the planting site.

For in-between weather areas:

After cutting the dead plant back, apply a thick layer of mulch. This protects the rhizomes from freezing in the winter.

For cold weather areas:

First cut back the dead growth. Next, carefully dig up the rhizomes. Place the rhizomes between layers of slightly damp peat moss, sand, or soil. Finally, store them in a cool, dark place until planting time in the spring. Check the moisture level every month or so to keep it ever so slightly moist.