Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Corsican Heron's Bill bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Corsican Heron's Bill, Corsican Stork's Bill (Erodium corsicum).

More about corsican heron's bill

About Corsican Heron's Bill

Erodium corsicum · also called Corsican Heron's Bill, Corsican Stork's Bill · flowering

Erodium corsicum is a compact evergreen perennial native to rocky, sun-baked slopes in Corsica and Sardinia. It thrives in sharply drained, alkaline to neutral soil in full sun and is an excellent candidate for rock gardens, troughs, and dry stone walls. The most important care point is to keep roots consistently dry in winter, as waterlogging rather than frost is the primary cause of death. It is not listed on the ASPCA toxic plant database and the genus is generally considered low-risk to pets.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons corsican heron's bill isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming corsican heron's bill 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 corsican heron's bill 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 corsican heron's bill to flower

Maximise sun. Give corsican heron's bill 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 corsican heron's bill and get the feeding right with the corsican heron's bill 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

Corsican Heron's Bill 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 corsican heron's bill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Corsican Heron's Bill blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my corsican heron's bill flower?

Corsican Heron's Bill 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 corsican heron's bill bloom?

Give corsican heron's bill 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 corsican heron's bill normally bloom?