Pink calla

Pink calla: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact tuberous plant 30–45 cm tall and about 30 cm wide, which goes dormant in winter.

Leaves

Lance-shaped, green and often marked with translucent white spots.

Flower

Funnel-shaped spathe in pink to purplish pink with a yellow spadix in the centre; borne on straight, sturdy stems.

Flowering time

July to September.

Tuber

Thick, round tuber (rhizome) that is stored dry in winter.

Flowering: July–September · Plants: May–June

Why grow it?

• Flowers from July to September, when many perennials are nearing the end.
• Compact: much lower than the white calla, perfect for pots, containers and the front of the border.
• Attractive leaves, often spotted with white, decorative even without flowers.
• A good cut flower: the blooms last a long time in a vase.
• The tuber can be stored and reused year after year.

Pink calla: where does it grow best?

• Sun to half shade; in full afternoon sun the leaves may scorch, so choose light shade in the hottest hours.
• Free-draining, humus-rich soil: sandy or loamy, acid to neutral.
• Evenly moist during growth, but never waterlogged: standing water makes the tuber rot.
• Plant 25–30 cm apart; a pot 20–25 cm across holds 3 tubers.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: lift the bulbs or tubers before the frost and store them frost-free

Goes well with

• Dahlia: Compact dahlias flower in the same period and go well with the pink.
• Coral bells: The purple or bronze leaves contrast nicely with the paler calla.
• Fuchsia: A summer flowerer for half shade with similar water needs.
• Lobelia: Blue flowers as an edging in a pot or container beneath the calla.
• Ornamental grass: Soft stems give structure next to the sturdy, sculptural leaves.

Pink calla: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Plant in May–June, only after the last frosts (mid-May), when the soil has warmed up.
2. Dig a hole 5–8 cm deep and mix a little compost or potting compost into the soil. On heavy soil, put coarse sand at the bottom.
3. Lay the tuber with the eyes or the rounded side up. Space the tubers 25–30 cm apart.
4. Water very little after planting until the first shoots appear above ground: in cold, wet soil the tuber rots.
5. In a pot: choose a pot with drainage holes and a light mix of potting compost and sand. You can start them indoors in April and put them outside after mid-May.

Care

Water

Keep the soil slightly moist during growth and flowering; let it dry out a little between waterings. Never leave water standing in the saucer.

Feeding

Every two weeks during flowering, a potassium-rich fertiliser (for example tomato feed). Too much nitrogen gives leaves and few flowers.

Faded flowers

Pull faded flower stems off at the base of the tuber and leave the leaves.

Mulching

A thin layer of compost or bark keeps the soil cool and moist in summer.

Dormancy

When the leaves turn yellow in autumn, water less and lift the tuber.

Tip: In spring keep the tuber almost dry until the shoots show above ground, and bring it indoors in October, dry and frost-free: it will then flower for years.

Pink calla: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed. Remove faded flower stems and yellow leaves during the season; in autumn, the dead foliage just before storing the tuber.

How:

• Pull a faded flower stem out with a short tug from the base; this leaves no stump that could rot.
• Cut yellow or damaged leaves off at the base.
• In autumn, let the foliage die back and cut it off just before you store the tuber.

Caution: Do not remove the leaves too early in the season: the tuber needs them to build up strength before winter.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Dividing tubers

In spring, when replanting: divide the tuber with a clean knife into pieces that each have at least one eye. Let the cuts dry for a day before planting.

Seed

Possible but slow: sow at 20–25 °C and allow several years before you get a flowering plant.

Pink calla: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: the plant tolerates about 2 °C as a minimum. Do not leave it outdoors over winter in Belgium.
• Lift the tuber in October, before the first frost, when the leaves turn yellow. Let it dry for a few days and brush off the loose soil.
• Store the tuber dry and frost-free at about 5–10 °C, in peat, sand or a paper bag, until spring.
• In a pot: leave the pot dry until the leaves die back, then store it somewhere cool, dry and frost-free.

Diseases and pests

• Tuber rot: The tuber turns soft and smells, and the leaves collapse. Often caused by too much water or soil that is too cold. Remove the plant and replant in a lighter, drier spot.
• Spider mite and thrips: Fine speckles and silvery patches on the leaves, especially in warm, dry air. Mist regularly and rinse the foliage.
• Aphids: On young shoots and flowers. Rinse off with water or let ladybirds deal with them.
• Slugs: They eat young shoots and leaves. Collect them in the evening or put down a barrier of sharp grit.
• Few flowers: Too much nitrogen, too little light or a tuber that is too small. Give a potassium-rich fertiliser and move the plant somewhere lighter.

Through the year

• April: If you like, start the tubers in pots indoors.
• May: After mid-May, plant outside or move the pots out.
• June: Young shoots appear. Water lightly; start potassium-rich feed.
• July: Flowering begins. Water and feed regularly.
• August: In flower. Pull faded stems out at the base; cut flowers.
• September: Last flowers. Water less towards the end of the month.
• October: Leaves turn yellow: lift the tubers, let them dry and store them frost-free.
• November: Store the tubers dry and frost-free.
• December: Rest. Check the tubers now and then for rot or drying out.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of calla are poisonous: as with its close relative lords-and-ladies, the sap is full of needle-shaped crystals (calcium oxalate) which, when chewed, at once cause a burning pain and swelling of the lips, mouth and throat, with drooling and sometimes difficulty swallowing. Children, and cats and dogs that chew the leaves or flowers, are most at risk; if your cat or dog has chewed it and is drooling or its mouth is swelling, call your vet. Despite the name arum lily, calla is not a true lily: unlike lilies it does not cause kidney failure in cats, but still keep a vase of callas, or a calla in a pot indoors, out of their reach. The sap can irritate the skin: wear gloves when dividing the rhizome or tubers, and wash your hands afterwards. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The ‘flower’ of a calla is actually a spathe; the real tiny flowers sit on the yellow spadix in the middle.
• The genus name Zantedeschia honours the Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi.
• Despite its common name ‘arum lily’, a calla is not a lily but a member of the arum family.