Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Camassia leichtlinii bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called great camas, Leichtlin's camas, blue camas (Camassia leichtlinii).

More about camassia leichtlinii

About Camassia leichtlinii

Camassia leichtlinii · also called great camas, Leichtlin's camas · flowering

Great camas is a hardy North American bulb that sends up tall spires of star-shaped blue, violet or creamy-white flowers in late spring. Unusually for a bulb, it thrives in moist, even seasonally wet, soils and naturalises beautifully in damp meadows and borders. Plant in autumn, sun to part shade, and leave undisturbed to multiply.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few or no flowers: Usually too much shade, overcrowding, or a bulb planted too shallow. Plant 10-15 cm deep in sun and lift congested clumps every few years.

The reasons camassia leichtlinii isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii to flower

Maximise sun. Give camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii and get the feeding right with the camassia leichtlinii 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

Camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Camassia leichtlinii blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my camassia leichtlinii flower?

Camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii bloom?

Give camassia leichtlinii 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 camassia leichtlinii normally bloom?