Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Bell heather bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Bell heather, Fine-leaved heath (Erica cinerea).

More about bell heather

About Bell heather

Erica cinerea · also called Bell heather, Fine-leaved heath · flowering

Bell heather is a compact, wiry evergreen shrub native to western Europe's acidic moorlands and heathlands. It bears dense racemes of rich purple-pink bell-shaped flowers from midsummer to early autumn, thriving in free-draining, lime-free soils and full sun. Drought-tolerant once established, it needs minimal feeding and benefits from a light trim after flowering.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy, non-flowering growth: Caused by insufficient sun or failure to trim annually. Clip shoots lightly (not into old woody stems) immediately after flowering each year to maintain a compact mound and stimulate fresh blooming growth.

The reasons bell heather isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming bell heather 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 bell heather 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 bell heather to flower

Maximise sun. Give bell heather 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 bell heather and get the feeding right with the bell heather 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

Bell heather 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 bell heather care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Bell heather blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my bell heather flower?

Bell heather 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 bell heather bloom?

Give bell heather 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 bell heather normally bloom?