7 Ways To Garden With Calla Lilies

The stylish fluted blooms of Callas are popular in bouquets and are often grown in cut flower gardens. Native to South Africa, these tropical bulbs have been embraced by home gardeners across the country. Calla Lilies are an extremely versatile annual and offer food for pollinators, color for small space or container gardens, and armfuls of cut blooms that professional florists and DIY flower arrangers live for.

Here are seven ways to garden with Calla Lilieso give you some ideas and inspiration for growing these colorful plants.

1. Plant A Cutting Garden With Callas

Calla Lilies are prized in early summer bouquets and are also popular with brides. You can snip blooms guilt-free and enjoy spectacular bouquets throughout the summer months. Pair them with Dahlias and Gladiolus in your cutting garden for flowers all the way until frost. Calla Lilies can last up to two or three weeks in a vase, under the right conditions.

Calla Lilies typically bloom about two months after planting.

Create a cutting garden with Calla Lilies, Dahlias, and Gladiolus for fresh-cut flowers all summer long!

Tips on getting your Calla Lilies to last longer in a vase:

• Give the plants a thorough soaking the night before you are going to cut them.
• Cut your Calla blooms in the early morning before the hot afternoon sun hits them.
• Use a pair of sharp scissors or a very sharp knife to make a clean cut. Using dull tools can result in crushing or piercing the water vessels in the stem, which makes it hard for them to absorb water.
• Place your cut Calla Lilies in a deep, clean vase.
• Place the bouquet in a cool area in the home that doesn’t receive full sun to help the blooms last longer.

2. Plant Calla Lilies In Groupings Odd Numbers

This is an important design tip that can sometimes be hard to follow, but Calla Lilies (and most flowering plants) look best planted in clumps of odd numbers. Plant at least three rhizomes together in one spot in the garden. Lone Callas, although pretty, just won’t give off the same drama as a clump of 5 or 7.

3. Grow Calla Lilies To Attract Pollinators

Whether you’re planting an entire garden dedicated to pollinators, or are just looking to add more pollinator-friendly plants throughout the garden, Calla Lilies are an amazing option. The colorful, tubular flowers are a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds (who love to stick their skinny beaks inside, searching for nectar).

Be sure to plant your Calla Lilies somewhere you can easily view them from a window or outdoor seating area. You’ll want to witness the parade of hummingbirds and butterflies coming to and from your elegant Calla blooms. Remember to have the camera ready!

4. Plant Calla Lilies To Deter Deer & Rabbits

Calla Lilies are not only extremely easy to grow, but are also deer- and rabbit-resistant. They are toxic when consumed by animals, which puts them at the bottom of deer and rabbits' list of palatable plants. 

This makes Calla Lilies a great choice for summer color in areas that aren’t fenced off - you can even plant them along the outside border of a fence along your property.

5. Fill In Late-Summer Gaps In your Gardens

Another great way to use Calla Lilies in your garden is to fill in gaps of summer color throughout your existing flowerbeds. Early to mid-summer bare spots are easily filled with color thanks to Callas. They require almost no room to grow and can be tucked in between plants for a burst of low-maintenance summer color.

6. Add Color To Containers & Small Space Gardens

One of the best ways to use Callas is to plant them in containers. They are so easy to grow and so impactful, whether you’re looking to liven up a window box or create blocks of color on your patio or balcony, Calla Lilies certainly fit the bill.

Whether you’re growing Callas in containers or in the garden, we recommend using an organic bulb fertilizer once per month until they start to bloom. This will help keep the plant healthy and grow stronger, bigger blooms.

7. Plant Calla Lilies Year After Year

Although Calla Lilies are technically an annual in areas where the ground freezes, you can easily dig up your rhizomes and store them over the winter to re-plant in spring.

There’s a reason Calla Lilies are a must-have for gardeners all around the country. They serve a multitude of purposes – spectacular summer color, attract pollinators, make for gorgeous cut bouquets, and more – without a lot of effort.