Calla lily
Zantedeschia aethiopica · Araceae Popular
Pure white, funnel-shaped flowers of great elegance, each wrapped around a yellow spike, above glossy, arrow-shaped leaves. It grows in wet soil and shallow water.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid July
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around calla lily
The planner designed this bed around calla lily when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 8, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 317 that suit those conditions and its wet soil, and says below why calla lily stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 19, yellow
- 2 Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' × 6, pink
- 3 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 4 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 3, pink
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Blue-eyed grass × 8, blue
- 7 Calla lily × 1, white
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are daisies, spires, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is the step between Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' (10 in) in front and astilbe 'Purple Candles' (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
- Bold leaf against fine. Astilbe 'Purple Candles' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From mid May to mid July.
- Fills a gap. For two of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. When the flowers are over, inkberry 'Gem Box' keeps the bed from looking bare. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is the plant there is most of: 19 of the 43.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where calla lily goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A sculptural flower and a handsome leaf for wet ground. In cold zones grow it in a pot stood in water, and bring it in for winter.
- Pond margins and bog gardens in mild climates
- Cut flowers
- Bold foliage
What to plant with calla lily
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Canna: in flower together for two weeks, from early July; tall enough (5 ft) to stand behind it.
- Japanese iris: in flower together for four weeks, from late June; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; medium leaves against its bold ones.
- Louisiana iris: in flower together for four weeks, from mid May; medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same wet soil.
Questions about calla lily
Does calla lily need sun or shade?
Calla lily grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants moist to wet soil, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does calla lily grow in?
USDA zones 8 to 10. It is hardy to zone 8, which means it survives winter nights down to about 20 °F (−7 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does calla lily flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to mid July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 8 | Late April to early July |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Mid April to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should calla lily be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (80 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many calla lily plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is calla lily poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts contain crystals that cause burning and swelling of the mouth if chewed.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like calla lily?
These come closest to doing what calla lily does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Columbine meadow rue: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to late June, fine leaves, not bold.
- White turtlehead: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early August to mid September, medium leaves, not bold.
- Gray's sedge: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to early September, green, not white.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat calla lily?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will calla lily spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by rhizomes and seed in wet ground, and has escaped along the California coast. Keep it out of streams and ditches.
What can I plant to hide calla lily's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Peony: 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide, in flower late May to late June.
- Blue false indigo: 4 ft tall and 4 ft wide, in flower late May to mid June.
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance': 3 ft tall and 5 ft wide, in flower late July to mid August.
What does calla lily look like in winter?
Calla lily is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
Is calla lily good for bees and butterflies?
Calla lily is visited by bees.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 2½ ft (80 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid July; trumpets; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 8 to 10
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist to wet
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
- Family
- Araceae
- Comes from
- Southern Africa
- Attracts
- Bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, wet soil, poor soil
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.