Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Piccadilly Diascia, Pink Twinspur (Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly').

More about diascia barberae 'piccadilly'

About Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly'

Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly' · also called Piccadilly Diascia, Pink Twinspur · flowering

'Piccadilly' is a compact twinspur bearing loose spikes of small spurred pink flowers over neat green foliage from late spring into autumn. A cool-season favourite for baskets, edging and containers, this South African native flowers best in mild conditions, likes sun with even moisture and reblooms strongly if trimmed back after the first flush fades.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Heat-induced flowering pause: Hot summer weather makes Diascia stop blooming and look tired. Shear back by a third, keep it watered and flowering resumes as temperatures cool.

The reasons diascia barberae 'piccadilly' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming diascia barberae 'piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' to flower

Maximise sun. Give diascia barberae 'piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' and get the feeding right with the diascia barberae 'piccadilly' 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

Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my diascia barberae 'piccadilly' flower?

Diascia barberae 'Piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' bloom?

Give diascia barberae 'piccadilly' 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 diascia barberae 'piccadilly' normally bloom?