Growing Calla Lilies in Southern Ontario

We recently had a question from Bernadette on Facebook asking about growing Calla Lilies. She's tried a few times but has never had success. She was curious as to whether or not she needed  to dig up the bulbs in the fall and overwinter indoors.

The answer is YES...

Unfortunately Calla Lilies just aren't hardy enough to survive our winters here in Southern Ontario. But, since they are so gorgeous in bloom, many gardeners are willing to put in the extra effort to keep them healthy so that they can enjoy them year after year.

Here's what you will want to do in the fall.  

First off in mid-October you will want to cut the leaves off the plant and dig up the bulbs. They are easy to store. Just put them in a brown paper bag with some peat moss. You can either store them in the fridge (but this just isn't very practical for a lot of us) or in a cellar/basement that stays about 5-10 degrees C.

In the springtime, about mid to end of April you can take the bulbs out of the bag and pot them up in approx: 6 - 8" pots. Give them a few weeks indoors to wake up and then you can start hardening them off by placing them outdoors during the day and indoors at night.  Once the temperature has reached a consistent 5 degrees C and there's no risk of frost go ahead and start leaving the pots outdoors overnight.  

Now it's up to you as to whether you want to transplant them into bigger pots to put on the patio or if you want to transplant them into the ground. If you're going to put them into your garden you should wait until early June.

Hope this helps and answers any questions you might have had regarding Calla Lilies.

Til next time - Glenn

Drift Roses

I sent out an email recently talking about Drift Roses. I thought I might as well post the info on here just in case you're not on our email list.

The incredible Drift Rose is a brand new introduction to the extensive rose family. They are the perfect plant for any small garden. These roses flower all summer long and once established produce hundreds of blooms per plant.

They are a member of the Knock Out Rose family, so for those of you who already have Knock Outs, you know how little care they need.  No spraying or dead-heading necessary. It's best if you shear them back after they have just finished blooming just as you would do with any flowering shrub. This will encourage them to set new buds and start flowering all over again. This is recommended about twice a season. That's it!

Drift is the perfect name as they look like a low snow drift massing pastel pinks, reds and corals. Because they are low, you can plant them in front of other shrubs to fill up those spaces but make sure they get lots of sun, good soil and a dose of rose food once a month. We have Green Earth's natural and organic based Rose, Annual & Perennial Food (4-8-4) and Smart Cote Rose Food on hand for you.  The Smart Cote feeds 3 bushes for an entire season which is great if you have just a few planted.

Because Drift Roses are one of the new plants for 2013, we have a limited quantity available. And, the stock we do have definitely won't last for long. My advice would be to come into the garden centre and get them as soon as you can if you want to plant some this year. Mine are already planted.

See you soon.

- Dave

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