Calla Lilies are a variety of the large family of perennial blooming flowers called Araceae, namely, of the Zantedeschia genus, which has six other species also known by the same name.
Some of them have unique common names as well, such as the white arum, the common arum, the pink arum, the yellow or golden arum; the rest are all generically called Calla Lilies.
All the species come from Africa and typically grow in the wild between South Africa and the northern part of Malawi.
They are usually just called arum lilies, and are often confused with the Calla genus, which has only one specie, the Callus palustris, which grows in the colder temperate zone as found in Europe, the northern parts of Asia as well as in North America. These are not actually lilies as some think.
Calla lilies are not annuals but in fact they are indeed perennials.
Calla Lilies are what are known as rhizomatous members of the plant world. They can grow as high as 2.5 meters, with the leaves measuring about 45 centimeters.
Calla in Greek means beautiful, and you can see why these lilies are fawned over all around the world for the way they beautify any setting.
In cold places, they’re usually grown indoors or inside a greenhouse where the temperature is more suited to their needs.
When growing perennials Calla lilies, be sure that the soil is salt-free, as they’re extremely sensitive to any salt content. Once you get the soil right, and provide lots of sunlight and water, you’ll find that they’re fast-growing plants that are quite tough.
They need a good gradient so water can drain off easily, as well as direct sunlight or a lightly shaded area. Best temperatures for the Calla lily to grow are those above 70 F.
When planted outdoors, no additional fertilizers are usually needed, but make sure they’re planted with rich top soil to begin with. If they’re planted indoors, on the other hand, then a regular regimen consisting of liquified plant food is a must.
There are two ways to make sure they get a proper supply of plant food: the first way is to mix a weak solution and use that to water them everyday, the second being to space out slightly stronger solutions every three weeks or so. Make sure that it’s not too strong even with the second approach.
Once the blossoming season is done with, let the plant mature naturally, being sure to snip off the flowers as they start to show signs of withering.
You can also gradually reduce their water supply until you see the leaves turning black. The tubers will need about three months to recuperate and start their blooming cycle again. If they’re potted, then you’ll need to plan for repotting after a period, since they grow quite fast.
People are excited whenever it is Spring.
Who wouldn’t?
People that are into gardening find Spring as an exciting season. If you are considering on planting too, take into consideration Asiatic and Oriental Lily bulbs. As soon as the soil is ready, you may start setting the bulbs in the ground.
These tips will hopefully help you have a successful planting activity. When you plant the bulbs, make sure that the place where you will plant them should have good drainage.
These bulbs dislike being wet all the time.
A full exposure to the sun is also required.
Partial shading may also do well with these bulbs but they have a tendency to look for the sun thus they stretch out more. When the bulbs are placed in shaded areas they also have softer growth thus you could have difficulty in making sure that you get beautiful flowers out of these bulbs.
The rule of thumb in planting is clustering the bulbs in groups of three but you also need to make sure that the bulbs are six to seven inches away from each other when they are of the small variety. If you have the larger type of lilies then you need to make sure that they are twelve inches apart.
It is a known fact that calla lilies that are perennials have a tendency to grow very quick and spread out fast.
It is therefore needed for the bulbs to be planted three times their thickness.
Generally, this is translated as six inches deep. If you plan to plant them on sandy soil, make them deeper by an inch.
Another method that you can use is digging up a foot deep then bring it up to six inches with the use of organic materials or compost so that the soil will have additional nutrients and the drainage will also improve.
You can also add a teaspoon of bone meal as this also works great on the lily bulbs. Additional fertilization is not needed as of this time.
The reason why the depth is considered while planting is because of the stalk wherein it needs the full support of the soil as it becomes loaded with blooms that are so beautiful.
If there is already growth at the surface, water it with fertilizer.
Any type of fertilizer for standard flowers will work great.
The bulb alone is already a powerful bulb because it can support and feed the plant without anyone’s help.
The additional fertilizer is just a reinforcement for the plant to become stronger. When the weather becomes warm, weeds start to grow.
Just make sure to remove them and keep the soil moist and cool. When you remove those weeds, you need to make sure that they are not going to break the stems of the calla lilies.
These plants are actually resistive to drought but it will definitely help a lot if you water down up to six inches during summer.
Fertilizing your calla lilies which are perennials during summer is a smart practice to do when it is that season already.
After the flowers have bloomed, remove them. When you do this procedure, you help your calla lilies create the energy it has in building the bulb from within.
Never remove the leaves at this stage and never cut the plant. The stalk and the leaves are making sure that they work hard in creating food that is stored in the bulb.
When the flowers bloom, they are sure to look amazing. The Orientals, on the other hand, have this lovely scent that you will love so much.
You do not only have amazing flowers but you also have a valid excuse to go out and do some gardening.