Calla – Growing Success

Q: I want to share some pictures of my calla lilies. I live in Snellville, Georgia and my mother-in-law from Washington State sends me bulbs. I have found the perfect spot I believe. They get a good 4 hours of morning sun, but grow in a very moist area next to the house. Per my mother-in-law’s directions, in the winter I don’t cut the leaves as they die down to the ground and get slimey and ugly. This is supposedly good nutrition for next year’s blooms.

Then, in the spring I put lots of cow manure all over the soil and what is left of the slimey leaves. Each year I get about double the blooms and this year they were especially huge. This spot is right out my kitchen window where I can see them easily.

Everyone goes absolutely nuts over these flowers each year. I think it may be unusual to find these growing in Georgia based on the reactions I get. My mother’s hand shows the size of the flowers. The tallest flowers this year were up to my shoulder and I am 5’7″!

A: Wow!! I think you have the big white calla, Zantedeschia aethiopica. This is an example of how a plant can be gloriously happy in one spot (your yard) and a miserable failure in another (my yard).

Congratulations on your success…you’re doing great!

Calla Care