Can a potted calla lily be planted outside
Nathan Sanders
Published Apr 17, 2026
Calla lilies are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. … When planted in water, the rhizomes can remain outdoors as long as the water doesn’t freeze at the planting depth. You can also transplant your callas into pots and grow them as houseplants.
How do you care for potted calla lilies outside?
Calla lilies grow best in full sun to part shade. In containers, it is recommended that calla lilies be placed in a location where they can receive about six hours of sunlight each day. The ideal temperatures for container grown calla lilies are daytime temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees F.
What do you do with potted calla lilies after they bloom?
- Reduce watering after your Calla Lilies have finished blooming for the season and the leaves start to turn yellow.
- Once the foliage dies back completely, cut it down to the ground.
- Dig up your rhizomes, clean them off with water and let them air dry for at least 12 hours.
Can I plant a calla lily in the ground?
Planting Your Calla Lilies Calla rhizomes should be planted in spring. They may be started indoors as early as a month before the average last frost date (for earlier blooms) or planted directly in the ground after the danger of frost has passed.Is a calla lily an indoor plant or outdoor plant?
Although an outdoor plant by nature, the Calla Lily will perform wonderfully as an indoor plant. Keeping this rhizome happy indoors is a matter of paying attention to some very basic growing conditions.
Are calla lilies hard to keep alive?
Calla Lily as a Houseplant Keep your indoor calla lilies continually moist and never allow them to dry out. You can even keep a little water in the saucer that it sits in but be sure that it doesn’t sit in standing water for too long. … Calla lilies inside prefer temperatures between 65 degrees F.
Can you deadhead calla lilies?
Unlike many other flowers, calla lily deadheading won’t cause the plant to create more blossoms. Each calla is designed to create a certain number of flowers, sometimes one or two and other times as many as six. Once those blooms have died off, the plant will only show foliage until the following spring.
How do you plant calla lilies outside?
- Plant after danger of frost has passed in full sun or partial shade (partial shade is required in the South and warm inland areas of the West unless the soil is constantly wet) and rich moist soil.
- Rhizomes should be planted horizontally, with the growing points facing up.
When can I plant my calla lily outside?
When to Plant: Calla lilies should be planted in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. In cold climates it’s best to wait until the soil has warmed to at least 65°F. For a head start, you can plant the rhizomes in pots indoors about a month before planting them into the garden.
How long do potted calla lilies last?Expect potted callas to bloom for three to nine weeks, depending on their variety and growing conditions.
Article first time published onDo calla lilies bloom more than once?
Many people treat their gift calla lilies as annuals. They receive a potted flower, or buy them for spring decorating, and then toss it when the blooms are done. In truth, though, calla lilies are perennials and you can actually save your potted plant and watch it bloom again next year.
Should I repot my calla lily?
Potting and Repotting Calla Lily One indication that your calla lilies are ready for a bigger pot is when the roots start to look crowded. Root-bound calla lily plants will not thrive, so replant them if you notice an issue with their roots.
Are calla lilies easy to care for indoors?
Calla Lily is a gorgeous plant you can grow both outdoors and indoors. Do not be afraid to plant it in a container and keep it indoors: it is easier than it may seem. This is rhizome plant that is not difficult to care for, as long as you follow some simple guidelines.
Will calla lilies multiply?
Being a bulb, calla lilies spread by multiplying and creating other bulbs. These calla lily bulbs can be dug up and replanted in different locations. While these plants spread, they do so in a manner which is quite easy to control.
What's the difference between calla and canna lily?
Cannas grow anywhere between 1 1/2 and 8 feet tall with a spread of up to 6 feet, whereas callas are generally more restrained, growing to only 2 or 3 feet with a 2-foot spread. Canna and calla leaves bear some resemblance to one another in that they are both long and wide, tapering at one end.
Can you leave calla lilies in the ground over winter?
Calla Lily Winter Care in Warm Climates Calla lilies are not cold hardy. This means that calla lily winter care in some gardens will be different from other gardens. If you live in USDA plant hardiness zone 8 or higher, your calla lilies can survive the winter outdoors in the ground and do not need to be dug up.
How do you winterize calla lilies?
Calla lilies will overwinter outdoors in Zones 9-11, but in most places they need to overwinter indoors. If you’ve grown the plants in pots, you can simply move the pots inside to a dark location for the winter without having to dig at all. Just repot them in fresh soil in spring.
Why do calla lily leaves drip water?
When houseplant leaves develop droplets of water on their tips, it is probably just transpiration as water moves through the plant and evaporates from its leaves, stem, and flowers. 1 Leaves dripping water is a natural occurrence, just like people sweating.
Can you transplant calla lilies in the summer?
They grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. Calla grows from a tuberous root called a rhizome. You can dig these roots up and divide the plants or transplant them to a new bed at any time of year, although mid- to late summer is the best transplanting time.
Can calla lilies be split?
Dividing calla lilies is not difficult. Lift calla rhizomes in fall after the foliage turns brown and pulls away from the roots easily. … Cut or break apart the rhizome, making sure each section has at least one eye. Let the rhizomes dry for a day to form a callus over the cut before replanting.
How do you keep calla lilies upright?
There is no real method for fixing a drooping calla unless it is simply wilting. In that case, just give it a drink and it should perk up in a day or two. Callas grow from bulbs, which need to be planted in well drained soil and, if potted, in an unglazed pot that will allow excess moisture to evaporate.
Why is my indoor calla lily drooping?
Although considered relatively easy to grow, calla lilies still need to be watered and tended to properly to survive. If your calla lilies start to droop, it could be that they are either underwatered or overwatered, they are getting too much nitrogen fertilizer, or they have some type of fungal rot disease.
Do indoor calla lilies go dormant?
Do calla lilies need to go dormant? Yes, calla lilies will not bloom unless they go dormant after blooming. If you are growing them as houseplants after they bloom, stop watering until they go dormant and cut back the foliage. Place in a cool location for two months and start watering again.