Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Coris-Leaved St John's Wort bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Coris-leaved St John's wort, Heath-leaved St John's wort (Hypericum coris).
More about coris-leaved st john's wort
About Coris-Leaved St John's Wort
Hypericum coris · also called Coris-leaved St John's wort, Heath-leaved St John's wort · flowering
Hypericum coris is a compact, mound-forming, semi-evergreen subshrub native to the southwestern and central Alps and northern Italy, where it colonises sunny limestone rocks and scree at elevations up to 2,000 m. It produces whorls of narrow, heath-like leaves on wiry stems and bears clusters of small golden-yellow, cup-shaped flowers in summer, making it an elegant choice for rock gardens and gravel beds. The single most important care point is sharp drainage — permanently wet soil will kill it, particularly in winter. Per the ASPCA, Hypericum (St John's wort) is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, with hypericin as the toxic principle.
Plant type: flowering
The reasons coris-leaved st john's wort isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming coris-leaved st john's wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort to flower
- Maximise sun. Give coris-leaved st john's wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort and get the feeding right with the coris-leaved st john's wort 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
Coris-Leaved St John's Wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Coris-Leaved St John's Wort blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my coris-leaved st john's wort flower?
Coris-Leaved St John's Wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort bloom?
Give coris-leaved st john's wort 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 coris-leaved st john's wort normally bloom?
Coris-Leaved St John's Wort flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with coris-leaved st john's wort after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping coris-leaved st john's wort flowering?
Feeding coris-leaved st john's wort a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Coris-Leaved St John's Wort care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Coris-Leaved St John's Wort light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Coris-Leaved St John's Wort fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 4114 bloom guides in the Growli library