Growing Calla Lily: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 20, 2026
Calla lily is grown from a rhizome rather than seed, and where you live decides whether it is a permanent planting or a summer one.
Zones 8 to 10 in the ground, everywhere else in a pot
NC State Extension gives its hardiness as zones 8a through 10b. Inside that range it stays in the ground and returns each year. Outside it, the two normal approaches are lifting the rhizomes after the foliage dies back and storing them somewhere frost-free, or growing it in a container that comes inside.
It reaches two to just over three feet tall and one to two feet wide, and flowers in June and July.
Shade helps in hot climates
It takes full sun or partial shade, and the extension entry is specific that partial shade is preferred in warmer climates to stop the leaves and flowers scorching. That is the opposite of the advice most flowers here get, and it makes calla lily a candidate for the part of a bed you struggle to fill.
Toxic in every part
Calcium oxalate runs through the flowers, leaves, roots, sap and stems, rated medium poison severity. Chewing any part causes oral irritation and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, and it is listed as a problem for cats, dogs and horses.
This is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to think about placement if children or animals use the space. A bed they can reach into is a different decision from a container on a table.
Our planner treats it as a bulb rather than a seed crop, so the buy-seeds guidance elsewhere on the site does not apply to it.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Zantedeschia aethiopica.
Companion planting guide for Calla Lily · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 8-10. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 2-3.5 ft
Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. It doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.
When to plant calla lily, by zone
Every zone calla lily grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Bloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8a & 8b | Not usually | Apr 1–Apr 8 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 9a & 9b | Not usually | Feb 22–Mar 1 | First real harvest the season after planting |
| 10a & 10b | Not usually | Feb 6–Feb 13 | First real harvest the season after planting |
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Calla Lily plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-3.5 ft.
Where to buy calla lily bulbs
We haven't vetted bulb/tuber suppliers yet. Our seed-supplier list doesn't carry these.
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing calla lily" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Calla Lily: A rhizome-grown flower for zones 8 to 10, toxic in every part, and lifted for winter anywhere colder.
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