Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Annual Clary bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Annual Clary, Clary, Painted Sage, Bluebeard (Salvia viridis).

More about annual clary

About Annual Clary

Salvia viridis · also called Annual Clary, Clary · flowering

Salvia viridis (syn. Salvia horminum) is a fast-growing annual native to the Mediterranean basin, prized for its showy papery bracts in pink, purple, or white rather than its small flowers. It thrives in full sun and poor to moderately fertile, sharply drained soils, making it an excellent choice for gravel gardens and cottage borders. The most important care fact is that rich, moist soil produces lush foliage at the expense of the colourful bracts for which it is grown. The plant is considered mildly toxic to pets due to volatile essential oils present in the Salvia genus.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis grey mould: Botrytis cinerea thrives on the papery bracts in damp, still conditions; remove fading flower stems promptly, improve air circulation, and avoid overhead watering to reduce spore spread.

The reasons annual clary isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming annual clary 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 annual clary 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 annual clary to flower

Maximise sun. Give annual clary 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 annual clary and get the feeding right with the annual clary 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

Annual Clary 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 annual clary care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Annual Clary blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my annual clary flower?

Annual Clary 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 annual clary bloom?

Give annual clary 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 annual clary normally bloom?