How to Grow Callas & Caladiums In Containers

This sophisticated duo of flowers and foliage is perfect for adding exciting color to your outdoor living space. Carolyn Whorton’s brilliantly colored pink, red and dark green leaves pair perfectly with the tall elegant purple flowers of Durban. These varieties are heat-tolerant and bloom through summer, creating a statement piece for your patio and porch.

What’s Included in Your Kit

Your kit includes a bag of soil, 3 caladium bulbs, 1 calla lily bulbs, a decorative pot, a lid and a small plastic bag containing 4 rubber base plugs.

Step 1: Save the Base Plugs

This kit includes a bag of 4 rubber base plugs. To install, press firmly on the top of the plug until the wider top is flush against the base of the pot. Install the base plugs when starting your plants indoors or when moving inside to store for the winter. When the plugs are removed for outdoor use, this provides adequate drainage for your soil. When indoors, these plugs prevent a leaking mess. 

Step 2: Arrange Bulbs & Soil

Fill the container with 2/3 of the soil included in your kit. Arrange the calla bulb with the tops facing up in a small ring towards the center of the container. Then, place the caladium bulbs in a ring surrounding the calla. Cover the bulbs with the remaining soil so that they are 2” below the surface of the soil. 

Step 3: Watering

Water lightly upon first planting. Once established, when rooted and stem shoots are above the soil line, water once a week, or more frequently if experiencing especially hot or drought-like conditions. While they are heat tolerant, callas and caladiums planted in containers tend to dry out faster than planted in the garden. 

Water thoroughly when the first inch or two of the soil is dry to the touch. To check soil, place a finger 1” below the soil’s surface to feel for moisture. If your foliage turns brown, you may be overwatering.

Step 4: After Care

This combination grows best in part shade. Place your container in a location where it receives 4-6 hours of sunlight each day. After planting, it may take 2 weeks or more for the first shoots to appear. Once this happens, the plants grow quickly.

Spring-planted calla lilies and caladiums will bloom from summer through fall. In warm climates where they are perennial, the plants typically flower earlier in the summer.

Step 5: Caring for Calla Lilies After They Bloom

During the growing season, calla lilies and caladiums appreciate a monthly dose of liquid fertilizer. This is especially important when they are grown in containers.

In climates where calla lilies are winter hardy (zones 8-10), the bulbs may be left in the ground to bloom again the next summer. If flowering decreases over time, dig and divide the bulbs to restore vigorous growth. In cooler areas (zones 3-7), calla lilies and caladiums are treated as annuals and planted new each year. Alternatively, the bulbs may be overwintered indoors, though flower production may be diminished the second year.

Step 6: How to Winterize Your Bulbs

Fertilizing your container garden throughout the growing season gives them a better base for overwintering. Cut off the flower stems of the calla lilies as soon as the blooms fade. This will prevent the plants from setting seed and help conserve energy for next year’s flowers. Continue fertilizing until the foliage of both plants begin to wither. At the end of the blooming season, but before the first frost around mid-late fall, dig up the bulbs and trim off the foliage, leaving an inch or two of stem attached. Let the bulbs cure in a warm, dry place for two weeks and then put them into a cardboard (not plastic) box with barely damp peat moss or sawdust. Store the box in a dark place at 50-60°F. Check once or twice during the winter to make sure the bulbs are not too moist (rotting) or too dry (shriveling). Replant in spring.