Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow, Morning-noon-and-night, Kiss-me-quick, Lady-of-the-night, Franciscan rain tree (Brunfelsia pauciflora).
More about yesterday-today-and-tomorrow
About Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow
Brunfelsia pauciflora · also called Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow, Morning-noon-and-night · flowering
Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow (Brunfelsia pauciflora) is an evergreen tropical shrub whose fragrant flowers fade from purple to lavender to white over three days. Give it bright, slightly filtered light, consistently moist acidic soil, warmth and high humidity. The ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, so keep it away from pets.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Bud and flower drop: Usually from the rootball drying out, sudden temperature swings, draughts or moving the plant while in bud. Keep moisture and temperature steady and avoid relocating it during flowering.
The reasons yesterday-today-and-tomorrow isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow to flower
- Maximise sun. Give yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow and get the feeding right with the yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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
Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my yesterday-today-and-tomorrow flower?
Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow bloom?
Give yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow normally bloom?
Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow 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 yesterday-today-and-tomorrow flowering?
Feeding yesterday-today-and-tomorrow a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow 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 145 bloom guides in the Growli library