Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Puget Blue ceanothus, Puget Blue California lilac (Ceanothus 'Puget Blue').

More about ceanothus 'puget blue'

About Ceanothus 'Puget Blue'

Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' · also called Puget Blue ceanothus, Puget Blue California lilac · flowering

Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' is a popular evergreen California lilac and RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, producing some of the deepest blue flowers of any ceanothus in late spring, smothering narrow, dark green leaves. Vigorous and arching, it excels trained on a sunny wall or as an informal screen, needing full sun, sharp drainage and minimal watering.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Will not regrow from old wood: Hard pruning into bare branches usually kills it. Restrict pruning to the current season's growth immediately after flowering.

The reasons ceanothus 'puget blue' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ceanothus 'puget blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' to flower

Maximise sun. Give ceanothus 'puget blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' and get the feeding right with the ceanothus 'puget blue' 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

Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ceanothus 'puget blue' flower?

Ceanothus 'Puget Blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' bloom?

Give ceanothus 'puget blue' 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 ceanothus 'puget blue' normally bloom?