Calla lilies have long been a sign of rebirth and resurrection, and they are often linked to Easter. Traditional species have flowers that are pure white, but modern hybrids have flowers that are a lot of different colors. These flowers, which are also called spathes, bloom for weeks and add color to pots, borders, mass plantings, and flower arrangements that you cut. Grown from rhizomes, this tropical is also sold in florist shops as a houseplant.
Calla lilies are sensual, graceful, suggestive, and exotic, just like lilies, even though they are not actually lilies. Many gardeners are surprised at how easy these flowers are to grow and take care of. Read on to learn more.
Although Z. aethiopica can be grown in Zones 8-10; hybrids are more comfortable in Zone 9 and warmer. Or treat them as annuals in colder climates.
Full sun to partial shade; with bright, indirect light being ideal. Dense shade might put a damper on bud count, and scorching midday summer sun can prove equally challenging.
About eight weeks after planting, flower stalks start to grow, and you’ll be happy with blooms for a couple of months.
Calla lily is an herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennial grown from rhizomes. Tubular shaped flowers with pointed tips produce a long, finger-like spadix at the center. Blooms come in colors of white, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, green, or black. Tall elegant stems rise above broad solid green or speckled leaves.
With their elegant trumpet-shaped blooms and arrowhead-shaped leaves, calla lilies make stunning indoor plants. Their exotic tropical allure and rich color palette lend sophistication to home decor. Calla lilies can thrive indoors year-round with proper care. Here’s how to successfully grow these beauties inside.
Overview of Calla Lilies
While commonly called “lilies” callas are actually not true lilies. Their botanical name is Zantedeschia. Most calla lilies grow from rhizomes, which resemble bulky tuber roots. They produce colorful funnel-shaped flowers called spathes on tall stems above spotted arrow-shaped leaves.
Native to South Africa, callas thrive in USDA zones 8 to 10 outdoors. But they can be grown in pots inside across a wider range of climates. With extra care, calla lilies will reward you with months of exotic floral beauty indoors.
Caring for Potted Calla Lilies
Calla lilies need specific growing conditions to flourish indoors. Here are tips for providing the right care:
-
Light – Bright filtered light is ideal. Keep away from direct sun which can scorch leaves.
-
Water – Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Water when top inch is dry.
-
Humidity – Mist leaves occasionally or use a humidifier. Callas relish humidity.
-
Temperature – Grow in temps between 60-80°F for best results. Keep away from heat/AC vents.
-
Fertilizer – Feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertilizer while actively growing.
-
Pruning – Remove spent blooms and any yellowing leaves to keep plant tidy.
-
Dormancy – Reduce water and let plants rest in cool area from fall until early spring.
Providing proper care goes a long way towards preventing common problems like root rot, leaf spot, and powdery mildew. Pay close attention to your plant’s needs.
How to Bring Outdoor Callas Inside
If you’ve been growing calla lilies in your garden, you can dig up the rhizomes in fall and overwinter them inside:
-
Allow foliage to die back after first frost.
-
Dig up rhizomes and let dry for 1-2 days. Discard any diseased or damaged ones.
-
Cut off foliage, leaving 1-2 inches of stem attached.
-
Place in shallow tray of barely moist potting mix. Keep at 60-65°F.
-
Pot up in early spring. Water sparingly until new growth appears.
-
Move to brighter light as leaves unfurl. Gradually increase watering and fertilizer.
With this process, your outdoor callas will reward you with their gorgeous blooms again next year inside your home.
Getting Calla Lily Blooms Indoors
One concern when growing calla lilies as houseplants is getting them to flower. Here are some tips to encourage indoor calla lilies to bloom:
-
Choose bulbs that are at least 2 inches diameter, which are most likely to flower.
-
Provide bright, indirect light to initiate blooming. Supplement with grow lights if needed.
-
Keep potbound instead of repotting. Crowded roots promote flowering.
-
Maintain consistent moisture and fertilize regularly when actively growing.
-
Give a winter dormancy period of 6-8 weeks with reduced water and no fertilizer.
-
Grow in a cool room around 60°F. Warmer temperatures inhibit blooming.
With the right care, potted calla lilies will reward you with gorgeous colorful blooms to enjoy for weeks at a time indoors.
Ideas for Displaying Calla Lilies Inside
Calla lilies are ideal for decorating indoor spaces with their vibrant colors and sophisticated forms. Here are some ways to show them off:
-
Place a single potted calla on a pedestal as an eye-catching focal point in a room.
-
Group a few pots together on a plant stand or console table to make a bold statement.
-
Flank a fireplace or TV with matching calla lily plants for symmetry.
-
Use calla lily blooms in cut flower arrangements in vases and centerpieces.
-
Set a potted calla on a desk, buffet, or kitchen island for an exotic pop of color.
-
Nestle calla lily pots among other tropicals like orchids, bromeliads or palms.
With the right care and ideal placement, calla lilies will enhance any indoor space with their remarkable elegance and beauty. Their colors range from sophisticated dark hues to cheerful brights – select varieties that complement your decor. Growing these easy care exotics as houseplants is immensely rewarding.
Will calla lilies spread?
Rhizomes will reproduce and spread, and can be dug up and divided every few years, or as needed.
For more on how to plant bulbs:
This tropical plant prefers temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees F. Calla lily thrives in humid and moist conditions and may need protection from hot afternoon sun. Plants will go dormant when temperatures drop below 50 degrees F. Don’t allow rhizomes to freeze.
Hybrids prefer a well-drained, porous soil. Sandy soils are good if you add fertilizer; clay soils can be tricky. For containers, use a high-quality, all-purpose potting mix.
Give them water when the soil is just barely dry, but don’t give them too much—hybrid callas don’t like soil that is too wet.
At the time of planting, apply a slow-release fertilizer. Excessive nitrogen will encourage a bounty of leaves and long stems, squelching bud production. In a fertile soil, no further food is needed.
Cut off spent blooms and remove damaged or discolored leaves to tidy up plants.
Before frost threatens in autumn or early winter:
- If you have a potting calla, cut the leaves back to the ground when they turn yellow and put the pots somewhere cool and dry inside to let the rhizomes rest.
- For callas that grow in the ground, cut the leaves back to the ground when they turn yellow, dig up the rhizomes, and store them somewhere dry and 55oF.
Withhold water for eight weeks or longer before jump-starting the cycle again with light and water.
Photo by: Proven Winners
BE MY® SUNSHINE — Buy now from Proven Winners Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones 8–13; 18–24 inches tall and 9–12 inches wide; blooms early to late summer.
This yellow calla lily will brighten up any room or garden bed with its cheerful flowers. Combine in a container with pink, red, or orange blooms for eye-catching color all summer long.
Photo by: Proven Winners
BE MY® FIRST LOVE — Buy now from Proven Winners Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones 8–13; 18–24 inches tall and 9–12 inches wide; blooms early to late summer.
This hot pink calla lily can have flowers for up to 12 weeks, giving containers or beds long-lasting color. Keep container-grown plants potbound to encourage more blooms.
Photo by: Proven Winners
BE MY® HEART — Buy now from Proven Winners Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones 8–13; 18–24 inches tall and 9–12 inches wide; blooms early to late summer.
Velvety deep crimson spathes lend understated elegance to borders, pots and indoor decor. Flowers are long-lasting in cut bouquets.
Photo by: Proven Winners
BE MY® MAIN SQUEEZE — Buy now from Proven Winners Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones 8–12: 18–24 inches tall and 9–12 inches wide; blooms early to late summer.
Add fiery orange to borders, mass plantings, and home decor. Use as a thriller element in containers with annuals that bloom in red or yellow for weeks of bright color.
Photo by: Rob Cardillo
WHITE CALLA LILY Zantedeschia aethiopica
It can live in Zones 8–10, and with winter protection, it may even make it through Zone 7. It grows to be 2–3 feet tall and 1–2 feet wide. It blooms in late spring to early summer.
This standard species of calla lily is the most common one grown. It has creamy white flowers that are often used in florist bouquets. Plants are tolerant of wet soil and can be planted near ponds, streams or bogs. ‘Green Goddess’ is a unique variety with green and white flowers.
Photo by: Rob Cardillo
ODESSA Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones: 8-10 Height/spread: 20 to 24 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide Bloom time: Summer to fall
Create a dramatic statement in beds, borders or containers with this black calla lily. Plant by itself as a stunning focal point. Combine with hot colors for a bold theme, or cool colors for a sophisticated look.
Photo by: Rob Cardillo
PICASSO Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones: 8-10 Height/spread: 16 to 24 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide Bloom time: Mid-summer
This unique bicolor sports a deep violet throat with cream edges, adding elegance to borders and containers. This beautiful variety can be the star of a flower arrangement or can be used with bright annuals to make a stunning summer display.
Photo by: Rob Cardillo
MOZART Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones: 8-10 Height/spread: 1 to 2 feet tall and wide Bloom time: Early to late summer
Glowing peach trumpet-shaped flowers blend with shades of pink for sophisticated summer color. Use as an arresting focal point in pots, or combine with complementary colors of purple and burgundy.
Photo by: Rob Cardillo
CAPTAIN RENO® Zantedeschia hybrid
Zones: 8-10 Height/spread: 16 to 20 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide Bloom time: Summer to fall
Elegant chalice-shaped flowers in shades of deep burgundy contrast with broad speckled foliage, creating excitement in the landscape. Plant alongside summer-blooming annuals for months of seasonal color.
How to Grow and Care for Calla Lily – Plants Indoors
Can calla lilies grow indoors?
Calla lilies love the sun, but they prefer partial sunlight over bright sunlight exposure, especially if you live in a warmer climate. Calla lily plants can grow indoors when the right conditions are maintained. You can grow the calla lilies from rhizomes or seeds, and you should water them less often to help the plant go into dormancy.
How to grow calla lilies?
This is the fastest and easiest way to grow calla lilies. You need a shovel to pick the rhizomes from the soil of your outdoor garden or indoor pot. Use the shovel to dig a circle around the root structure and pick it up. Use a soft brush to remove all the dirt from the rhizome and keep it dry and clean.
How do you care for a calla lily?
When grown inside the house, it’s recommended to use a healthy soil mix to help the rhizomes grow, and the flowers bloom. Applying plant food once or twice a month will keep your calla lily flowers in excellent condition. Using a nitrogen fertilizer will be a great choice, as long as you’re sure that there isn’t too much nitrogen in the soil.
What temperature should calla lilies be kept in?
As tropical plants, calla lilies love warmth, so it does best in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Such temperatures should be easy to maintain indoors without overheating you or your other plants. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees, the plant will shift into its dormant stage.