Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Upright Plum Yew bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Fastigiate Japanese Plum Yew, Columnar Plum Yew, Harrington Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata').

More about upright plum yew

About Upright Plum Yew

Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata' · also called Fastigiate Japanese Plum Yew, Columnar Plum Yew · flowering

Upright Plum Yew is a striking, vase-shaped to columnar shrub with spirally arranged, dark-green, yew-like needles pointing upward. Extremely tolerant of shade and dry soil, making it one of the most adaptable formal conifers. Not individually listed by the ASPCA; related genera have toxic alkaloids — treat as potentially toxic.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons upright plum yew isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming upright plum yew 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 upright plum yew 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 upright plum yew to flower

Maximise sun. Give upright plum yew 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 upright plum yew and get the feeding right with the upright plum yew 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

Upright Plum Yew 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 upright plum yew care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Upright Plum Yew blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my upright plum yew flower?

Upright Plum Yew 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 upright plum yew bloom?

Give upright plum yew 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 upright plum yew normally bloom?