I am a big Calla Fan. IVe been having decent luck with my Callas, but I havent been able to get them nearly as big as some of my friends have... Can anyone offer advice for getting my callas to a nice monster size?
Posting a pic of one of my flowers right before opening this season
chris
My neighbor has two huge callas. He planted them direct w/o enriching the soil, which was a sandy-topsoil mix. They're both facing South with full sun. They're fabulous. Even our friends noticed how wonderful those callas look. He does nothing to/for them. Just planted and left 'em. I'll have to get a picture of them while they're still so lovely.
Selecting a large cultivar helps - try 'Hercules'. Rich, moist soil against the house facing south does wonders.
Oh thanks Kin .. Thanks for the Suggestions everyone. I think that the Hercules variety is more of a heat loving less hardy variety.. I hope Im wong on that.. Id love to try it out.
Chris
My friend who has a little nursery swears by 'Hercules'. He said to me the other day its the only one that makes it through the winter without any protection and has large blooms. Give him a call to verify if you want: www.tropic.ca
Yes, your pics is a very nice!
Thanks for the Info growin. Il definately look into Hercules.
Theres a lil story behind the Callas Ive got now. they were my Great grandmother's who grow them for years and years at her small little house. She died around 15 years ago. When I was visiting the area I went to look at her little house, all now crumbling to the ground, and I found the callas still surviving. I dug up the large clump of what ever I could find and brought them home. Now they seem to be doing really nice... but am always currious how to get them bigger and better.
I will Look into herucles .. the pics of that one are amazing!
Pic is of the clump of Grandma's Callas in my garden now.
Chris
I have fairly dense, clay soil with a lot of organic material here in Portland. When I divided some of my small-medium callas and gave them to my mom at the beach, she planted them in her sandy soil and the became HUGE within a year. I think the soil, maybe the more temperate climate made the difference.
If you're going to make your Grandma's Callas large, the idea of a bit of sandy/rich soil works but should be kept moist when it's warm. Reflected heat from the house or rocks helps them grow faster. Mix in a little slow-release fertilizer. The soil you have looks like it has barkmulch and may not be rich enough. It probably gets a bit dry.
A friend of mine who grows huge callas in Seattle has them in part sun and puts a little compost on them every year.
