Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cape Mallow bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Cape Mallow, African Mallow, Dwarf Pink Hibiscus (Anisodontea capensis).

More about cape mallow

About Cape Mallow

Anisodontea capensis · also called Cape Mallow, African Mallow · flowering

Anisodontea capensis is a fast-growing, evergreen shrub native to the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa, producing an almost continuous succession of small, pale to mid-pink hibiscus-like flowers from spring through autumn and into winter in mild climates. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil, and is best grown in a sheltered sunny spot outdoors or as a cool greenhouse or conservatory plant in most of the UK, as it is damaged by frost below −2°C. Tip-prune young plants to encourage bushy branching, and hard-prune in spring if plants become leggy. It is not listed in the ASPCA database, and no toxic principles are documented for Anisodontea, but a precautionary mildly-toxic rating is applied.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons cape mallow isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cape mallow 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 cape mallow 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 cape mallow to flower

Maximise sun. Give cape mallow 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 cape mallow and get the feeding right with the cape mallow 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

Cape Mallow 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 cape mallow care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cape Mallow blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cape mallow flower?

Cape Mallow 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 cape mallow bloom?

Give cape mallow 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 cape mallow normally bloom?