Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Cuban Lily, Portuguese Squill, Peruvian Scilla (Scilla peruviana).

More about cuban lily

About Cuban Lily

Scilla peruviana · also called Cuban Lily, Portuguese Squill · flowering

Scilla peruviana (despite the name, native to the western Mediterranean) produces large, flat-topped conical racemes of up to 100 small blue-violet star-shaped flowers in late spring. The bold strap-like leaves are semi-evergreen. Less hardy than other squills, it performs best in mild climates or sheltered gardens, making a striking statement in raised beds and large containers.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Frost damage in cold climates: Semi-evergreen leaves and flower buds can be damaged by hard frosts below -10°C. In borderline zones (7–8), mulch the planting site heavily in autumn or lift and overwinter bulbs in frost-free storage.

The reasons cuban lily isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cuban 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 cuban 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 cuban lily to flower

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

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

Cuban Lily blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cuban lily flower?

Cuban 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 cuban lily bloom?

Give cuban 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 cuban lily normally bloom?