Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Silver Ghost sea holly, Miss Willmott's ghost (Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost').
More about eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost'
About Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost'
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' · also called Silver Ghost sea holly, Miss Willmott's ghost · flowering
'Silver Ghost' is a dramatic biennial or short-lived perennial sea holly with large, silvery-white spiny ruffs surrounding pale teasel-like cones. Reaching well over a metre, it self-seeds freely to colonise dry, sunny ground. A magnet for bees, it gives ghostly luminous structure to gravel gardens and dries superbly for arrangements.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Short lifespan / monocarpic decline: Plants die after flowering and setting seed. Allow a few seed heads to mature so replacement seedlings continue the colony.
The reasons eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' to flower
- Maximise sun. Give eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' and get the feeding right with the eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' 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
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' flower?
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' bloom?
Give eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' 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 eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' normally bloom?
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' flowering?
Feeding eryngium giganteum 'silver ghost' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost' fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 2023 bloom guides in the Growli library