Who has some Calla lilies to show us?

Captain Chelsea opening.

What you'd see if you were flying over Captain Chelsea yesterday.

If I were flying over that yesterday I would have had my long chain and grabber dangling!

OK Robert, you win on the swirls!

No way Wallaby, that last red picture of yours swirls me into the stratosphere!!!!! I want that one whatever it is!!!!!!

Here is Cap'n. Chelsea today. The edge is more yellowy than the picture is able to render.



This message was edited Aug 7, 2006 2:23 PM

The captains are fun to see, thanks.

That red is, I hate to say, "Luscious."
K

Maybe it's time to start part 3........

Here's more Captain Chelsea.

Closer.

And one on the way.

K, it really is OK to *like* red!

Captain Chelsea is putting on a good show! It's later than mine, they are winding down to mature their seed and go to sleep for the winter. Summer here is so short.

This thread is a little long now, but I'm not sure if we can fill another. Feel free to start another if you wish Robert, it can take a while to load for some.

I took a full view of my squashed together pots, in front of the bath tub there is Z Gem Lavender and Crystal Blush making their seed, Pink Mist hiding in the middle had 3 spathes, making seed but doesn't look to be as much this year. Cameo can be seen with greened spathes peeking over the back, it looks to be making a lot of seed. Luscious Red is to the right of that out of view, aso making seed but is later.

Wallaby,

I gave away all my Calla bulbs, can I post other nice photos for you enjoyment?

Can I post a small Key Lime near the end of the month, when the moon is new?

dale, so pretty!

Oh no, you can't give away all your Calla bulbs, *gasp* horror!

It would be most appreciated!

Don't tell me off, I'm going now!

That's lovely, Dale. despite the fact that there aren't any callas in there. (ducking and running)

Robert.

I see brilliant design. Good, sturdy colors, but most of all, well-placed for size and habit.

Callas are, for the most part, out of season (reemeber those seedleads, though!) and we'd love to see more plain ol' garden shots.
You could "post" that Key Lime to me- I can't make pie but I'll learn.

Kenton

My callas are still looking pretty good even though we have 95 degree weather every day and they are in full sun.

This one has more green on it than the others.

stetchworth, your callas are looking great, especially for this time of year.

Dale, lovely border there! What is that short blue flower at the front of the pic? I saw those all over Florida last week in blue, white, and pink; they're so pretty I'd love to try them.

Oh Sage one, it is dwarf mexican petunia, ruellia. Not hady & somewhat slow growing.

Dale, mate; save yourself the onslaught and make the gambit- tell us what it is when it is pictured. We will always ask.
Example from myself: Who is the Caladium cvr, and which spp of Ruellia?
Kenton

We have 2 native Ruellias here- caroliniensis and strepens. I find it mostly under trees by the house but our neighbor has it all over his yard--love it when it manages to escape the mower long enough to flower.

Looks like Caladium "Miss Muffet".

Ah, just as I guessed. From your pic and the glances I got from the car, I thought the blooms looked like a Mexican petunia. Hmmm, I've overwintered a taller variety in the house....wonder if the same would work for the dwarf? Looks like it would make a sweet potted plant. Or could try them as an annual. Do the dwarfs root as easily as others?
Thanks,
Neal

Dale, your flower border is wonderful and I love the way the flowers tumble onto the pavement.

Tussee

dale, what is the green plant with white edge, underneath the Miss Muffet caladium? your pic posted 8/17 @ 5:10p. A coleus?

I bought some callas about 3 years ago and they bloomed that year. But they haven't since. So this year I planted them behind a little rock wall, with soil nearly to the top on the side they are planted in. The cardinal flowers took off as never before and the ligularia love it, so i thought the callas would like the damper soil and finally bloom, but alas, no sign of blooms this year. I am thinking about leaving them in the ground and mulching them heavily to get a head start on next spring. I'm in zone 7, what do you think? What do you folks fertilize them with and how often?

mine are inground, part sun, close to enough to water source. I don't fertilize (bad mommy!)

woodspirit, I think they'll overwinter fine for you as long as the spot is'nt too wet (sometimes they rot if too wet in winter). I know people who overwinter them in the ground here in zone6 and tussee overwinters hers in ground in a protected spot in zone 5, so you should be in fine shape as winter temps go.

Woodspirit, I keep mine in pots, but intend to try some in the ground when I can get a place organised for them. I will keep some in pots as an insurance, they do need good care as far as the growing medium is concerned. Use plenty of organic compost and gritty soil around them as they like to be well drained but kept moist, drainage as they say is 'everything'. They do need rich soil and if happy should flower, but I find the bulbs take some time to regrow and recover after they have first flowered, at least 2-3 years.

They are grown in a commercially economic way, i.e. not in a good compost as we would/should use, and time is money so quick growing methods are employed, as well as hormones used to ensure flowering. Try giving them some tomato food with high P& K, but don't feed too late in the season as they need to toughen up for the winter. Liquid feed is best for them, bulbs generally respond to even a little food, avoid using granular feeds as that can rot the bulb.

I have some Peter's Bloom and use bone meal because our soil is low in phosphates. I think I will try some Messenger too. But you know, I thought they were a spring bloomer and here you all are showing pictures from July and into August.

I have had absolutely no success with callas. I know I have planted 20+ bulbs in the last year, and the only thing I have to show for my efforts is one pot of foliage. I used good potting soil and fertilized occasionally, and the foliage looks nice, but no spathes. The ones in the ground are pitiful if they came up at all. :( I did amend the soil, since mine is clay. I so love these flowers, and would appreciate any advise for a novice calla lover. (I have successes with other plants, just seem to be doomed on these!) Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask for this info. If there is a thread with step by step guidance that I have overlooked, I would appreciate direction!!

guardians, if you look at my general advice in my last post it will give you some clues.

If having trouble with ANY bulb in the soil, the way to go is to grow them in pots so you can give them plenty of good compost, I use my own mix of leafy compost, leaf mould would be great, plus very gritty soil/leaf mix I get from the drain, and some Moss peat, don't use heavy sedge peat, and keep them properly watered. I found this to be ideal for Arisaemas as well, once you are familiar with their requirements they are quite easy.

A good start early in the season may be an advantage, mine live in a greenhouse overwinter, although not heated it does give them winter protection and an early spring start. Besides that, when they look like they are getting a little too big for their pots I put them in a larger pot (this gives them a real boost), and only give them about 3 liquid tomato feeds in summer.

Guardians, I think you're on your way to success. some of my callas did not bloom the first year. I would be encouraged by the fact you have healthy greens. You might have planted immature bulbs. On the ones where nothing came up, well, don't hold your breath on those...

Janett,
I dug mine up today and this is how many I had in there - less the new ones. Although I don't divide them too much.

Lots! I'm glad I don't have to lift mine, but I do have to find a space in a greenhouse. That's getting more difficult!

Mine are yellowing a little now.

They're not that bad to lift - a bit slimy, but easier than dahlia or canna. I had my yellow Callifornia Calla that didn't flower this year, but sure put out new corms - so maybe next year.

Hopefully, but in my experience they take two years from making new corms. But you never know!

Gosh I think I'm lucky, I don't lift the dahlias, and store the cannas in their pots too.

I'm taking a chance. I live in zone 7. My callas have not done well for me in pots. They have simply shrunk and not bloomed. So I put them in the ground at the bottom of a short hill with a retaining wall. This should be pretty moist and my cardinal flowers loved the new location. I am not digging them. I am going to leave them in with lots of mulch and see if they survive. After 4 years of struggling with them, I have taken a "sink-or-swim" attitude. How much fertilizer and how often should I apply it starting in the spring (assuming they survive)? Is this crazy?

Not crazy woodspirit, I think for each location weather conditions are so different it's a matter of experimenting on what works sometimes.

What sort of compost did you use in the pots? I use a mix of leafy compost, gritty soil and moss peat. I only give about 3 small waterings of tomato food in the summer. I wouldn't feed too much early in the season, and it should be liquid feed preferably, high P&K, as granular can rot the bulb.

They do seem to like lots of organic material (most bulbs do), and a pot up to a bigger pot sometimes is all it seems to take to make them put on a growth spurt.

The leaves should also be left to die back completely, they will feed the new bulbs and help them to mature.

It was a general potting mix and I probably added a little Black Kow and bone meal.. I think I under-fertilized but I don't want all growth and no bloom so I will probably use some Bloom Booster on them. The fact that the bulbs are smaller in size each year indicates to me that I need to feed them with something. Anyone have a particular feeding program for callas that they'd recommend. Also my soil is acid. Is that OK?

My Mozart calla has died down now, so at the garden center the other day I bought a pot of callas in bloom to take into the office. Unfortunately the variety is not shown.

woodspirit, a general potting mix often means a substitute medium such as peat or coir, which has no food in at all. You need to use soil and organic materials such as leaf mould, I would check the bag to see what it is.

kniphofia, now I'll have to go to the garden centre to see if they have some late blooming callas! Better than cut flowers, you still have the plant. Don't you hate it when they don't give you a name, but so pretty who could resist!

Yes indeed I couldn't resist although it took me ages to choose one! Here's a close up of one of the flowers.

Sue