Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Taplow Blue globe thistle, blue globe thistle (Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue').

More about echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue'

About Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' · also called Taplow Blue globe thistle, blue globe thistle · flowering

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' is a tall, statuesque globe thistle bearing large, bright powder-blue spherical flower heads on robust grey stems above coarse, spiny, deeply cut foliage in mid to late summer. Drought-tolerant, architectural and irresistible to bees, it brings height and structure to sunny borders, prairie schemes and gravel gardens and dries well for everlasting displays.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphids: Aphids can mass on buds and stems and distort new growth. Wash them off with water or tolerate them, as the blooms attract many predatory insects.

The reasons echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' to flower

Maximise sun. Give echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' and get the feeding right with the echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' 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

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' flower?

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' bloom?

Give echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' 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 echinops bannaticus 'taplow blue' normally bloom?