calla lily winter

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by honolua, Oct 15, 2008.

  1. honolua

    honolua Active Member

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    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Hi,
    I am in the pacific northwest (zone 8), and have seen a variety of ways to care for calla lilies over the winter. I have heard (and seen neighbours) cut them down to 6-12 inches and piled on the soil/mulch..only to have them re-grow in the spring. I have heard of those who cut them out, cut the stems off, and store the root.

    I have a nearly one year old plant that will be going through it's first winter. It is lovely, and is now about 3 feet high, and 2 feet wide. I am thinking of cutting it down as the neighbours down the street do, to prepare it for the winter. Should I wait until a good, heavy frost, or do it now.
    Advice?
    Help..
     
  2. Charles Richard

    Charles Richard Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
    Hello,
    I have a couple different types of callas. One is Zantedeschia 'aethiopica' (Hardy white calla). This calla has plane green leaves (no spots) and a white flower. It can be mulched to give added pertection if one likes, depending on where you live.
    My other calla is a large yellow flower with spotted green leaves and a little more elliptical. This particular variety would not make it left outside. I dig them up and store them in sawdust in my crawlspace of house for the winter. It may survive for some in free draining soil and a sheltered site in mild winters. I don't take a chance with this particular one.
    I hope this will help.
     
  3. Aber

    Aber Member

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    Location:
    Nanaimo, Canada
    Hi Im also in the Pacific NW and have a calla lily in a container on my condo balcony. I bought the plant 2 springs ago - when i bought it it had a couple white blooms, bloomed maybe two more times, and that was that for that summer. It kept growing healthy leaves and got quite big. Over the winter it slowed down but I didn't really do much, just cut off the leaves if they didn't look good. I didn't water it but it did get water from the rain. Then in late winter I found out that perhaps I should have done something too it as it should rest in the winter. So i tried to cut it back but was told not to cut green leaves because if they are green they are still supporting the bulb. As the leaves wouldn't fade I tried putting the whole plant under a paper bag to try and induce resting - that didn't work. So in the spring, i gave up, started watering and wondered what would happen! Well - the plant just EXPLODED with blooms - I think 16 at one time! Then at the end of June/early July it stopped blooming and has slowly been really slowing down. The leaves yellowed, and very few new green leaves have grown (it is much much smaller now then it was a year ago at this time). I am making sure it doesn't get water and hoping it will fully rest over this winter. I'm not going to dig the bulb up out of the container - I may put some mulch on it if all the leaves drop off. Anyway, not sure this will help you, just sharing my experience
     

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  4. martyl1946

    martyl1946 Member

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    Location:
    Penn Yan , USA
    I live in sone 6 New York ,I have dug mine up, because I'm not sure if I should if I should leave them in the ground.
     
  5. honolua

    honolua Active Member

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    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Thanks! Yes I have decided to NOT dig them up, as no one in my neighbourhood does this. Last year was oddly cold, but we don't usually have much, if any, snow or prolonged freezing. I looked down the street at one garden that has several white ones, and he has already cut his down to about a foot tall. New shoots have already appeared with the slightly warmer days of late. I shall wait until the leaves are brown...
    thanks!
     

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