Are calla lilies annuals or perennials? This is a common question among flower gardeners. Annual plants grow for just one season and shrink off, while perennial plants keep on growing every season. Understanding whether calla lilies are annuals or perennials will help you plan your garden better.
If you are wondering are calla lilies annuals or perennials, the short answer is that they are technically perennials. Sometimes you might be given calla lilies flowers as a gift. This might get you thinking of what next to do with them. You might be wondering if it is possible to keep your calla lilies every year or for just one season. Read on and we will help you discover this.
Are Calla Lilies Annuals or Perennials
A lot of times, most people treat their calla lilies plant as annuals. After buying potted calla lilies flowers or when they get them as a gift, they tend to discard them after a season. Thinking they are annual and because their blooms are done.
In actual sense, the answer to are calla lilies annuals or perennials is that they are perennials. This means that you can watch your calla lilies grow and bloom again the next year. This mainly depends on how you handle your plant.
Factors That May Affect Your Calla Lilies Being Annual or Perennial
There are some factors (such as climatic factors) to consider if you want your calla lilies to last long and bloom every year.
- Temperature: climatic factors such as temperature can help or hinder your plant. Calla lilies do well when you expose them to moderate temperatures. But extremely high temperatures can harm the rhizome of your flower.
- Winter: you will need to keep your calla lilies indoors during winter. Extreme cold can destroy the rhizome of your flower and you won’t see them come back the next year.
Learn more about How To Care For Orchids After Blooming.
How to Maintain Your Calla Lilies
How you handle your calla lilies matters a lot as it will determine if your flower will be annual or perennial. Below are some ways to maintain your plant:
- Potted flower: Keeping your calla lilies potted is a good solution. This way you get and grow your potted calla lilies as perennial either indoors or outdoors. Outdoors calla lilies are more susceptible to drought. This is why you should always observe the moisture of your plant daily.
The indoor potted plant can most likely be watered every 2- 3 days.
- Moist soil: To enhance perennial growth, always maintain an evenly moist soil so the top of your flower does not dry out completely.
- Sunlight: Your calla lilies will need an all-day moderate sun supply or a little afternoon shade. This will help your calla lilies yield healthy leaves with good growth.
- Garden Calla lilies: You can put your calla lilies outside your garden during spring and summertime. Then during the first frost fall or winter, you take your plant back inside.
Annual Calla Lilies
You may decide you want your calla lilies to be annual. Therefore, you can simply treat them as annual.
Also, there are a few calla lilies varieties that may not survive in harsh conditions. Assuming you are concerned about the climate condition in your zone. Then you can treat your calla lilies as annual and simply replace them every year.
How to Help Calla Lilies Return Each Year
If you want to treat your calla lilies as perennials and enjoy them for many seasons, proper winter care is essential. In colder climates where temperatures drop below freezing, you should dig up the rhizomes in fall after the foliage has died back. Store them in a cool, dry location with good air circulation until spring arrives.
When spring temperatures warm above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you can replant the stored rhizomes outdoors. Plant them about 3 to 4 inches deep with the growing points facing upward. Water them thoroughly after planting and keep the soil consistently moist throughout the growing season.
In warmer climates where frost is rare, calla lilies can remain in the ground year-round and will naturally return each spring. Adding a layer of mulch over the planting area provides extra protection during cooler winter months and helps retain soil moisture.
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Eunice is a gardener who loves to play in the dirt. She starts her day early in the morning, watering her plants and tending to her garden. She loves the smell of freshly cut grass and the feeling of sunshine on her back as she works. She‘s a master at creating beautiful flower arrangements and can often be found humming a tune as she tends to her plants. When she‘s not gardening, she loves to read books about nature and share her knowledge with others. Eunice loves gardening so much that she‘s even been known to talk to her plants!