Lilies: SEPERATING CALLA LILY BULS, 4 by cathy166

cathy166 wrote:
Brenda, when you lift them from the ground, you can bring them inside and keep them in the basement and mimic your outdoor conditions, just a little warmer.

Most of my callas don't make through the winter, but in two locations they must be well protected because they are coming back each year.

Callas (zantedeschias) are not true lilies even though they are also called arum lilies. They are not really aroids, but they have more similarities. The colorful portion is a bract. They send up a spike (spadix) on which there are many tiny flowers. I don't divide the bulbs unless they are dividing themselves.

I treat them like the caladiums, which are foliage plants, and about a zone 9 or 10. I bring them in during the cold weather and water lightly until their "rebirth" when they come out of dormancy. Many gardeners overwinter warm weather bulbs in sawdust, newspaper, hulls, net bags or other materials, but I have the best luck in standard potting soil, watering lightly only when it becomes dry. When they start to sprout, I give them a lot more light and more water and a tiny bit of food.

Unfortunately this was not the best year for callas for us. Most of them bloomed but were somewhat of a disappointment.

Photo 1 is a container of callas. Photo 2 is are the inground plants that have come back for the 3rd year. Maybe they are just strong stock. The 3rd photo is a container with both caladiums and callas. Photo 4 is what I had hoped all the callas would resemble but didn't. The sunset colors are my favorite.

You might find some additional on the bulbs forum or http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3951/

If you put zantedeschia in the search box, you will access some worthwhile articles.