Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cornish heath bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Cornish heath, Wandering heath (Erica vagans).

More about cornish heath

About Cornish heath

Erica vagans · also called Cornish heath, Wandering heath · flowering

Cornish heath is a robust, spreading evergreen shrub native to the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall and parts of western Europe. It produces abundant racemes of small pink to white flowers from late July through October — later than most heathers — making it invaluable for autumn colour. Tolerant of mildly alkaline conditions, it is more adaptable than most Erica species.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Woody dieback without pruning: Erica vagans grows vigorously and becomes leggy and woody without annual trimming. Clip spent flower stems back to green growth each October or November after blooming ends. Unlike some heathers, it can tolerate being cut back slightly harder but still avoid old woody stems.

The reasons cornish heath isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cornish heath 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 cornish heath 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 cornish heath to flower

Maximise sun. Give cornish heath 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 cornish heath and get the feeding right with the cornish heath 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

Cornish heath 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 cornish heath care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cornish heath blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cornish heath flower?

Cornish heath 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 cornish heath bloom?

Give cornish heath 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 cornish heath normally bloom?