Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Baboon Flower bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Baboon flower, Blue freesia, Babiana (Babiana stricta).

More about baboon flower

About Baboon Flower

Babiana stricta · also called Baboon flower, Blue freesia · flowering

Babiana stricta is a cormous perennial from the Cape region of South Africa, producing fragrant, vividly coloured funnel-shaped flowers in violet, purple, blue, pink, or yellow on pleated, lance-shaped foliage in spring. In the UK and colder climates it is grown as a conservatory or cool greenhouse plant, with corms planted in autumn and allowed to dry off after flowering. The most important care rule is to provide a frost-free but cool winter rest with dry corms — it tolerates only very light frost at best. No confirmed ASPCA toxicity listing exists; treat with caution around pets.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Corm rot during dormancy: Corms kept in damp compost after flowering quickly rot; once foliage has fully died back, allow corms to dry out completely before lifting and storing in dry sand at 5–10°C until autumn replanting.

The reasons baboon flower isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming baboon flower 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 baboon flower 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 baboon flower to flower

Maximise sun. Give baboon flower 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 baboon flower and get the feeding right with the baboon flower 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

Baboon Flower 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 baboon flower care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Baboon Flower blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my baboon flower flower?

Baboon Flower 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 baboon flower bloom?

Give baboon flower 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 baboon flower normally bloom?