Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Alchemilla mollis bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Lady's mantle, Soft lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis).

More about alchemilla mollis

About Alchemilla mollis

Alchemilla mollis · also called Lady's mantle, Soft lady's mantle · flowering

Lady's mantle is a robust, mound-forming perennial grown for its softly hairy, pleated grey-green leaves that catch dew in silvery beads, and for froths of tiny chartreuse-yellow flowers in early to midsummer. Reaching around 0.45-0.6 m, it makes superb ground cover and edging in sun or shade and is a florist's favourite filler.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Prolific self-seeding: It seeds around vigorously and can become weedy; cut flower stems back right after flowering to prevent unwanted seedlings.

The reasons alchemilla mollis isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming alchemilla mollis traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding alchemilla mollis a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get alchemilla mollis to flower

Maximise sun. Give alchemilla mollis the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for alchemilla mollis and get the feeding right with the alchemilla mollis fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Alchemilla mollis flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full alchemilla mollis care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Alchemilla mollis blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my alchemilla mollis flower?

Alchemilla mollis blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make alchemilla mollis bloom?

Give alchemilla mollis the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does alchemilla mollis normally bloom?