On Gardening: These shall be your calla lilies, subsequent yr and for at all times |

If you’ve thought of growing calla lilies but doubted your skills, this is what you know: if I can do it, so can you! At the end of April I was sent some lightbulbs to test. My first bloom was around June 1st and I still have dozens of blooms and can see more coming, but like you, I still doubt myself.

In my test box were the six varieties of the new Be My Calla series, which will be released by Proven Winners next year. There were five onions of each variety that looked a bit like cookies, or what I imagine scones to be. I also got pots about the size of the chrysanthemum ones. I immediately emailed them asking if I should grow them as a graft or if I could just plant the bulbs in the ground. There was no answer telling me I was the Chuck Yeager tester here, other than airplanes, but calla lilies.

My wife Jan told me that she loved calla lilies and that a house we once rented had some. Somehow I missed knowing all of this that she loved her or that we had her. So this is my whole experience with calla lilies. And to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen the bulbs or plants for sale. The real pressure, however, was when she said she loved her – that meant I had to plant her.

I decided to plant the five bulbs of each variety by color partnerships with my other flowers. This meant that there would be a lot of cultivation in the main pollinator garden. I was allowed to plan a special design for a variety. I will explain how it broke.

I used my Twist ‘n Plant auger that was attached to my drill press for planting. I planted them 3 to 4 inches deep and about 10 inches apart. The south was like a rainforest for much of the summer, and everything exploded in growth. While five onion allotments can’t create a catalog look, I never expected them to be so beautiful and put on a show that would last so long. I didn’t expect them to give off additional iridescent hues as they age. Structurally, the foliage is also a real eye-catcher.

In the end, I created calla-lily vignettes with the combinations. Some were planned, others just happened. I may not have planned for the red sun hat and the yellow Be My Sunshine Calla to partner, but they did. A true calla lily pro might not like this, but guess what, the lucky woman did! This type of scenario happened all over the garden.

In this particular area, I wanted to grow a large red Abyssinian banana plant with the new Summerific Edge of Night perennial hibiscus. Be My Calla Prince’s calla lilies should be the perfect partners. My wreck happened when a chipmunk ran into the vegetation that looked so beautiful. Allie, a 110 pound Dutch Shepherd who lives with me, saw this and said, “Stay Grandpa, I’ll get the chipmunk out for you.” The banana and chipmunk came through well. Everything else is in triage.

The six Be My Calla lilies have iridescent colors, like Be My Sunshine a striking yellow and Be My Main Squeeze a hot orange that ages with fiery red tips. The Be My Heart is a deep dark burgundy red that harmonizes well with all other colors. A bright, iridescent pink, Be My Princess will be the hit with the princesses who live in your home and a deep burgundy red that will steal your heart. The last two are Be My Prince, a rich dark pink with white borders, and Be My First Love, which I think is a sensational mauve pink.

Be My Calla Lilies from Proven Winners are really easy to grow and recommended as a perennial in zones 8a and warmer. They can be grown in the countryside, in containers, and also indoors. The next year seems to be packed with great new plants. The Be My Calla Lilies are sure to be a hit.

Norman Winter is a gardener, garden spokesperson and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden”. Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinter

TheGardenGuy.