Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue Bells Bush Violet bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Bush Violet, Sapphire Flower, Amethyst Flower (Browallia speciosa).

More about blue bells bush violet

About Blue Bells Bush Violet

Browallia speciosa · also called Bush Violet, Sapphire Flower · flowering

Bush Violet is a shade-tolerant flowering annual or short-lived perennial from Colombia, bearing star-shaped vivid blue or violet blooms over a long season. It excels in hanging baskets and shaded containers. Browallia belongs to Solanaceae and contains solanine-related alkaloids, making it mildly toxic to pets and children if ingested.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Usually caused by too much shade or over-fertilising with nitrogen; move to brighter spot and switch to high-potash feed.

The reasons blue bells bush violet isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue bells bush violet 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 bells bush violet 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 bells bush violet to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue bells bush violet 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 bells bush violet and get the feeding right with the blue bells bush violet 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 Bells Bush Violet 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 bells bush violet care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Bells Bush Violet blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue bells bush violet flower?

Blue Bells Bush Violet 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 bells bush violet bloom?

Give blue bells bush violet 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 bells bush violet normally bloom?