Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue Holly 'Blue Princess' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Meserve Holly, Blue Princess Holly (Ilex × meserveae 'Blue Princess').

More about blue holly 'blue princess'

About Blue Holly 'Blue Princess'

Ilex × meserveae 'Blue Princess' · also called Meserve Holly, Blue Princess Holly · flowering

'Blue Princess' is a cold-hardy Meserve (blue) holly with glossy blue-green spiny leaves, purplish stems and abundant red berries when pollinated by 'Blue Prince'. A dense, rounded evergreen, it suits hedges, screens and festive cuttings. It likes full sun to part shade and moist, acidic, well-drained soil, and is hardier than English holly.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No berries without a male: 'Blue Princess' is female and needs a male pollinator such as 'Blue Prince' nearby. Without one, the plant flowers but sets no fruit.

The reasons blue holly 'blue princess' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue holly 'blue princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue holly 'blue princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' and get the feeding right with the blue holly 'blue princess' 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

Blue Holly 'Blue Princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Holly 'Blue Princess' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue holly 'blue princess' flower?

Blue Holly 'Blue Princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' bloom?

Give blue holly 'blue princess' 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 blue holly 'blue princess' normally bloom?