Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Atlantic White Cedar bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Atlantic White Cedar, Southern White Cedar, Swamp Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides).

More about atlantic white cedar

About Atlantic White Cedar

Chamaecyparis thyoides · also called Atlantic White Cedar, Southern White Cedar · flowering

Atlantic White Cedar is a narrowly columnar evergreen conifer native to coastal wetlands and bogs of the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida. It thrives in saturated, acidic soils where few other conifers survive. Its aromatic, blue-green foliage and straight timber have made it ecologically and historically important. Hardy and low-maintenance in suitable wet sites.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons atlantic white cedar isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming atlantic white cedar 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 atlantic white cedar 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 atlantic white cedar to flower

Maximise sun. Give atlantic white cedar 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 atlantic white cedar and get the feeding right with the atlantic white cedar 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

Atlantic White Cedar 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 atlantic white cedar care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Atlantic White Cedar blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my atlantic white cedar flower?

Atlantic White Cedar 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 atlantic white cedar bloom?

Give atlantic white cedar 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 atlantic white cedar normally bloom?