Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Crossvine, Trumpet Flower, Quarantine Vine (Bignonia capreolata).

More about crossvine

About Crossvine

Bignonia capreolata · also called Crossvine, Trumpet Flower · flowering

Crossvine is a native North American woody vine with tendril-like clinging holdfasts, producing striking reddish-orange and yellow tubular flowers beloved by hummingbirds in spring. Semi-evergreen and adaptable, it tolerates a wide range of soils and is hardy across much of the South and Midwest. Excellent on fences, walls, and pergolas.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse spring flowering: Flowers form on previous year's wood. If the vine is pruned in late winter or early spring, the flower buds are removed. Prune only immediately after flowering ends in late spring or early summer.

The reasons crossvine isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming crossvine 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 crossvine 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 crossvine to flower

Maximise sun. Give crossvine 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 crossvine and get the feeding right with the crossvine 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

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

Crossvine blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my crossvine flower?

Crossvine 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 crossvine bloom?

Give crossvine 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 crossvine normally bloom?