Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Campsis grandiflora bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Chinese trumpet vine, Chinese trumpet creeper (Campsis grandiflora).

More about campsis grandiflora

About Campsis grandiflora

Campsis grandiflora · also called Chinese trumpet vine, Chinese trumpet creeper · flowering

The Chinese trumpet vine carries the largest, most open trumpet flowers of the genus — wide apricot-to-deep-orange blooms in arching clusters through summer. Slightly less hardy and less self-clinging than C. radicans, it twines and needs tying in, but suckers far less, making it a more mannerly choice for warm, sunny walls and pergolas where hummingbirds and bees visit.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Shy flowering: Too little sun, an unsettled young plant, or excess nitrogen are the usual reasons; give full sun, a warm wall and high-potassium feed, and be patient for 2-3 years.

The reasons campsis grandiflora isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora to flower

Maximise sun. Give campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora and get the feeding right with the campsis grandiflora 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

Campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Campsis grandiflora blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my campsis grandiflora flower?

Campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora bloom?

Give campsis grandiflora 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 campsis grandiflora normally bloom?