Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Rose of Sharon, Shrub Althea (Hibiscus syriacus 'Oiseau Bleu').

More about rose of sharon 'blue bird'

About Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird'

Hibiscus syriacus 'Oiseau Bleu' · also called Rose of Sharon, Shrub Althea · flowering

Hibiscus syriacus 'Oiseau Bleu' (sold as 'Blue Bird') is a hardy deciduous shrub prized for its large, single, violet-blue flowers with a deep red eye. Blooming from midsummer into autumn when many shrubs are spent, it adds rare true-blue tones to the border and makes an upright, late-season hedge or specimen.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bud drop before opening: Flower buds yellow and fall when the plant is drought-stressed, suddenly over- or under-watered, or short of nutrients. Keep soil evenly moist during budding and feed in summer.

The reasons rose of sharon 'blue bird' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming rose of sharon 'blue bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' to flower

Maximise sun. Give rose of sharon 'blue bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' and get the feeding right with the rose of sharon 'blue bird' 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

Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my rose of sharon 'blue bird' flower?

Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' bloom?

Give rose of sharon 'blue bird' 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 rose of sharon 'blue bird' normally bloom?