Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Bicolor Barrenwort bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Bicolor Barrenwort, Bicolor Epimedium, Fairy Wings (Epimedium x versicolor).

More about bicolor barrenwort

About Bicolor Barrenwort

Epimedium x versicolor · also called Bicolor Barrenwort, Bicolor Epimedium · flowering

A tough, semi-evergreen groundcover perennial for dry shade, producing clusters of bicoloured yellow and cream flowers on wiry stems in spring. Foliage emerges red-tinged, turns green in summer, and reddens again in autumn. Drought-tolerant once established, suppressing weeds under trees and shrubs. Hardy to USDA zone 4.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Winter foliage tattering: Cold, drying winds shred the semi-evergreen foliage. Cut all old leaves to the ground in late winter, before flower buds emerge, to reveal the flowers and encourage fresh growth.

The reasons bicolor barrenwort isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming bicolor barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort to flower

Maximise sun. Give bicolor barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort and get the feeding right with the bicolor barrenwort 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

Bicolor Barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Bicolor Barrenwort blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my bicolor barrenwort flower?

Bicolor Barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort bloom?

Give bicolor barrenwort 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 bicolor barrenwort normally bloom?