 |
Calla Lilies are Easy to Grow
Calla lilies sit contentedly in my deck pond as I write, crowding their pots and starting to put on the seasonal show. Can I be any happier with this small pot water feature? As a way to impress you, let me tell you that calla lily comes from the Greek work “kallos” meaning “beauty”. And no, I don’t speak Greek but my handy reference books all seem to. They are also called Water Arum, Bog Arum, Wild Calla and Water Dragon. Why anybody would call this plant a dragon is beyond me but I have to assume these people really like dragons. This is a hardy native type perennial (Calla palustris) and should be happy into USDA zone 3 or 4. While it would be fine in my garden, I grow mine as a potted plant and can tell you the pot overwinters as a ratty looking houseplant. I try to keep it damp all winter so it stays evergreen and will grow quite quickly the following spring. It does not appreciate being dried out. This is a vigorous growing plant that demands a damp growing area. Growing it in the open and dry garden will shorten its life to a few brief weeks. The glossy green foliage and white flowers (called spathes) are quite exotic looking in a northern setting.
Keep it damp in the full sun and in no time you’ll have both flowers and a full pot or if in the garden, you'll find yourself with a healthy, flowering clump. I feed mine with a small shovel of compost every spring and this does the trick giving me adequate growth and lots of flowers.
Division is the preferred method of propagation although it will come from seed. The calla lily is no exception to one of the confusing things in the plant world. What most people grow as calla lilies are not really calla (as in Calla palustris, my potted friend) but rather they are growing Zantedeschia. (that’s a mouthful isn’t it?) :-) Use this search box for all your gardening questions
Click here to ask a question about Calla Lilies and Doug's free newsletter
|
