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Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Britt-Marie Crawford ligularia, dark-leaved goldenray (Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford').

More about britt-marie crawford ligularia

About Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia

Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford' · also called Britt-Marie Crawford ligularia, dark-leaved goldenray · flowering

'Britt-Marie Crawford' is a dramatic moisture-loving perennial grown for huge rounded leaves of deep chocolate-maroon, glossy above and beetroot-purple beneath, topped in late summer by bold clusters of orange-yellow daisy flowers. A statement plant for damp shade, pond margins and bog gardens, its dark foliage holds colour best in cooler, consistently moist conditions.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor performance in dry soil: On free-draining or dry sites it sulks, browns and rarely flowers well. This plant needs reliably damp to boggy ground — match the site or it will never thrive.

The reasons britt-marie crawford ligularia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming britt-marie crawford ligularia traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

  1. Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
  2. Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
  3. The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
  4. Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
  5. It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding britt-marie crawford ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia to flower

  1. Maximise sun. Give britt-marie crawford ligularia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
  2. Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
  3. Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
  4. 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia and get the feeding right with the britt-marie crawford ligularia 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

Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my britt-marie crawford ligularia flower?

Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia bloom?

Give britt-marie crawford ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia normally bloom?

Britt-Marie Crawford Ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia 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 britt-marie crawford ligularia flowering?

Feeding britt-marie crawford ligularia a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

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