Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Blue Star Juniper bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Blue Star Juniper, Singleseed Juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star').
More about blue star juniper
About Blue Star Juniper
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' · also called Blue Star Juniper, Singleseed Juniper · flowering
Blue Star Juniper is a slow-growing, low mounding dwarf conifer with dense, silvery steel-blue needle foliage. An RHS Award of Garden Merit plant, it stays naturally compact, making it ideal for rock gardens, edging, troughs and containers. It loves full sun and sharp drainage, needs no pruning, and is reliably drought-tolerant once established.
Plant type: flowering
The reasons blue star juniper isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming blue star juniper 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 star juniper 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 star juniper to flower
- Maximise sun. Give blue star juniper 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 star juniper and get the feeding right with the blue star juniper 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 Star Juniper 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 star juniper care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Blue Star Juniper blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my blue star juniper flower?
Blue Star Juniper 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 star juniper bloom?
Give blue star juniper 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 star juniper normally bloom?
Blue Star Juniper flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with blue star juniper after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping blue star juniper flowering?
Feeding blue star juniper a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Blue Star Juniper care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Blue Star Juniper light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Blue Star Juniper fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 1410 bloom guides in the Growli library