Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Coral Lily, Dwarf Turk's Cap Lily, Siberian Lily (Lilium pumilum).

More about coral lily

About Coral Lily

Lilium pumilum · also called Coral Lily, Dwarf Turk's Cap Lily · flowering

Coral Lily is a graceful, compact species from Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China, bearing up to 30 brilliant scarlet to coral-red, pendant turk's-cap flowers on slender stems in early summer. One of the earliest lilies to bloom, it is short-lived (3–5 years) but self-seeds freely. Ideal for rock gardens and front-of-border. Severely toxic to cats.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis blight: Grey mould on leaves and flowers is common in cool, wet seasons. Ensure an open, sunny, well-ventilated position. Remove affected parts promptly and treat with a copper-based fungicide in persistently wet weather.

The reasons coral lily isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming coral 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 coral 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 coral lily to flower

Maximise sun. Give coral 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 coral lily and get the feeding right with the coral 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

Coral 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 coral lily care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Coral Lily blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my coral lily flower?

Coral 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 coral lily bloom?

Give coral 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 coral lily normally bloom?