Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Mrs Eileen Dahlia (Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen').

More about dahlia 'mrs eileen'

About Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen'

Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' · also called Mrs Eileen Dahlia · flowering

Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' is a decorative dahlia producing large, fully double blooms in warm amber and apricot tones, often with a golden centre. It is a reliable mid-season variety that performs well in cutting gardens and mixed borders. Blooms prolifically from midsummer to first frost. Toxic to dogs and cats per the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis: Grey mould on flowers and stems in cool, wet conditions; remove affected parts and improve air circulation.

The reasons dahlia 'mrs eileen' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming dahlia 'mrs eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' to flower

Maximise sun. Give dahlia 'mrs eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' and get the feeding right with the dahlia 'mrs eileen' 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

Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my dahlia 'mrs eileen' flower?

Dahlia 'Mrs Eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' bloom?

Give dahlia 'mrs eileen' 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 dahlia 'mrs eileen' normally bloom?