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How to get your calla lily through the winter chill

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Winter is here.

And just like most of us made adjustments to get through it without getting sick before even the first cold front hit, so should we make the same considerations for our plants, especially house plants.

Most of my plants don’t really like this season – I had to repot every one of them just to make sure that the soil wouldn’t freeze.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I then bought a plant that generally needs extra care.

This colourful, trumpet-shaped, southern African native is special.

Similar to the larger arum lily, the beauty of this plant is that, unlike the arum, which usually only comes in white, you can ask your local nursery if they have it in your favourite colour. I was advised to place a layer of organic mulch on top of the soil to help the plants get through winter and stay free of weeds.

While calla lilies are outdoor plants by nature, this beauty can flourish wonderfully as an indoor plant, with keeping it happy indoors just being a matter of paying attention to some basic growing conditions.

One of the main ways to care for calla lilies is to keep them watered and fertilised. Once flowering has ceased, calla lilies require a dormant period.

During this time, you should cut down on watering to allow the plants to die back. Because they are indigenous to South Africa, they don’t tolerate much frost.

The calla lily begins to grow in early autumn, and during this period the plant should be kept cool at temperatures of between 10°C and 15°C.

During the growth phase and when flowering starts, the plant can stand in a warmer location, but during the flowering period, it’s important that the location is not too warm, as the flowers will wilt prematurely, shortening the flowering phase. Temperatures below 21°C are ideal.

All parts of this plant are poisonous, typically producing local irritation or a burning sensation in your mouth, occasionally vomiting and diarrhoea – as most plants would if you ate them.

Remember, in this season, most plants require less water, more sun and improved humidity.

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