Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Dove Tree, Handkerchief Tree, Ghost Tree (Davidia involucrata).

More about davidia involucrata

About Davidia involucrata

Davidia involucrata · also called Dove Tree, Handkerchief Tree · flowering

The dove tree is a striking deciduous tree famed for its spring display, when small flower heads are flanked by two large white bracts that flutter like handkerchiefs or doves. It prefers a sheltered spot in sun or part shade with moist, fertile, well-drained soil, and takes about a decade to begin flowering.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Long wait for flowers: Seed-grown trees often take 10-15 years to flower; gardeners mistake this for failure. Choose a grafted or cutting-raised plant for earlier blooms, and be patient.

The reasons davidia involucrata isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming davidia involucrata 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 davidia involucrata 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 davidia involucrata to flower

Maximise sun. Give davidia involucrata 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 davidia involucrata and get the feeding right with the davidia involucrata 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

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

Davidia involucrata blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my davidia involucrata flower?

Davidia involucrata 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 davidia involucrata bloom?

Give davidia involucrata 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 davidia involucrata normally bloom?