Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Camellia 'Water Lily' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Water Lily camellia (Camellia x williamsii 'Water Lily').

More about camellia 'water lily'

About Camellia 'Water Lily'

Camellia x williamsii 'Water Lily' · also called Water Lily camellia · flowering

Camellia x williamsii 'Water Lily' is an elegant cultivar bearing formal double, soft pink flowers reminiscent of a water lily in bloom. A williamsii hybrid, it is notably free-flowering and has the desirable trait of dropping spent blooms cleanly. Hardy and suited to UK gardens. Mildly toxic to pets if ingested.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bud drop: Usually caused by drought stress during bud development in summer and early autumn, or by frost damage to developing buds. Water consistently and protect buds from hard frosts with fleece.

The reasons camellia 'water lily' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming camellia 'water lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' to flower

Maximise sun. Give camellia 'water lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' and get the feeding right with the camellia 'water lily' 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

Camellia 'Water Lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Camellia 'Water Lily' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my camellia 'water lily' flower?

Camellia 'Water Lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' bloom?

Give camellia 'water lily' 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 camellia 'water lily' normally bloom?