How to Grow Calla Lilies Inside

While they aren’t true lilies, calla lily plants produce single-petal, lily-like flowers on tall stalks. They come in colors ranging from pure white to pink and lavender depending on the variety. A tropical plant native to Africa, calla cannot tolerate frost. Growing them as a potted houseplant protects them from outside temperature fluctuations and allows you to enjoy their graceful flowers indoors. Calla lilies provide dependable indoor color from early summer until fall.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Pot
• Potting soil
• Trowel
• Fertilizer
• Shears

1. Fill a 12- to 16-inch-diameter container with a well-draining potting mixture to within 1 inch of the rim. Water the potting mix until the excess moisture begins to drain from the bottom of the container.
2. Plant one calla rhizome in the pot, placing it so the growing buds on the root face upward. Set the rhizome so its top is 1 inch beneath the soil surface.
3. Set the pot in a window that receives full all-day sunlight, such as a south-facing window. Too little light indoors prevents the calla from blooming fully.
4. Water the calla lilies when the top inch of soil begins to dry. Houseplants dry out more slowly than those growing outdoors, so feel the soil before watering to prevent overwatering.
5. Fertilize once a month in spring and summer with a soluble fertilizer formulated for flowering bulb plants. Apply at the rate recommended on the fertilizer label.
6. Gradually allow the soil to dry out in late fall or early winter to force the calla into a dormant rest period. Cut back the foliage to soil level once it yellows and dies back. Store the dormant calla in a dark, 50-degree-Fahrenheit location until spring.
7. Resume regular watering in spring and move the calla back to its sunny window. Resume fertilization once the plant begins putting on new growth.