Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Apricot Sprite Hyssop bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Apricot Sprite Hyssop, Apricot Sprite Hummingbird Mint (Agastache aurantiaca 'Apricot Sprite').

More about apricot sprite hyssop

About Apricot Sprite Hyssop

Agastache aurantiaca 'Apricot Sprite' · also called Apricot Sprite Hyssop, Apricot Sprite Hummingbird Mint · flowering

A compact, long-blooming cultivar of Agastache aurantiaca producing profuse soft apricot-orange tubular flowers from midsummer to autumn. Its dwarf habit suits containers and front-of-border planting. Highly attractive to hummingbirds and bees, with minty aromatic foliage. Excellent heat and drought tolerance; performs best in full sun with sharp drainage.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Fading flower colour in extreme heat: The soft apricot tones can bleach to near-white in sustained temperatures above 38°C. Provide light afternoon shade during heat waves to preserve colour intensity.

The reasons apricot sprite hyssop isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming apricot sprite hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop to flower

Maximise sun. Give apricot sprite hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop and get the feeding right with the apricot sprite hyssop 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

Apricot Sprite Hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Apricot Sprite Hyssop blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my apricot sprite hyssop flower?

Apricot Sprite Hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop bloom?

Give apricot sprite hyssop 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 apricot sprite hyssop normally bloom?