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Hello there --

I've never grown callas before, so I was hoping someone could help me.

The Lowes near me is selling 10" calla lilly pots on clearance for 5$. I've always wanted to try to grow callas, and it seems like it might possibly be a good deal, but I want to make sure I'm not wasting money.

The plants all have drooping blooms. Some of them are sideways and hanging over the edge of the pot. Is this indicative of a disease, or are they just in need of some TLC? If it's TLC, I'd be willing to try my hand, but Obviously if it's a disease I don't.

Any help?

I haven't grown calla lilies, but I thought I would offer you a response, anyway.

Examine the plants carefully. If you don't see any signs of insect infestation, or smell a bad odor, the plants might be simply going into dormancy. There is a type of bacterial rot that affects callas, but it has a bad smell.

I know that callas are often forced to bloom around Easter, and the blooms usually last for 4 to 6 weeks. If the leaves look healthy, it's probably safe to buy one of the plants. Just cut off the blooms when you get it home. You will probably have to grow the plant in a container, because they don't usually survive the winter outdoors in zones where the ground freezes ... anything lower than zone 7.

Again, I don't have any direct hands-on experience with calla lilies.

Kisal wrote:I haven't grown calla lilies, but I thought I would offer you a response, anyway.

Examine the plants carefully. If you don't see any signs of insect infestation, or smell a bad odor, the plants might be simply going into dormancy. There is a type of bacterial rot that affects callas, but it has a bad smell.

I know that callas are often forced to bloom around Easter, and the blooms usually last for 4 to 6 weeks. If the leaves look healthy, it's probably safe to buy one of the plants. Just cut off the blooms when you get it home. You will probably have to grow the plant in a container, because they don't usually survive the winter outdoors in zones where the ground freezes ... anything lower than zone 7.

Again, I don't have any direct hands-on experience with calla lilies.

Good thoughts, Kisal. It's worth a shot. The leaves did look pretty healthy.

It is possible your calla lilies are forming seeds. The weight of the seeds will naturally make the flowers droop. You can just leave them on the plant until the seed pods dry up and plant them later. If you really want your blooms to stand upright, use some nylon thread and loop it around the whole plant and cinch them up so that they are standing loosely upright.