Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Fairy Bells bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Fairy bells, Fairy grass (Melasphaerula ramosa).

More about fairy bells

About Fairy Bells

Melasphaerula ramosa · also called Fairy bells, Fairy grass · flowering

Melasphaerula ramosa is a slender cormous plant in the family Iridaceae, native to the Western Cape of South Africa where it grows in fynbos scrub and seasonally wet lowlands. The branched wiry stems carry numerous small creamy-white to pale yellow bell-shaped flowers with a faint musky scent in spring. It follows a Mediterranean growth cycle — actively growing through the cool, wet autumn and winter, then dying back completely in summer; in cooler climates it thrives as a cool-greenhouse or cold-frame subject. Toxicity to pets has not been formally assessed by the ASPCA; treat as mildly toxic as an Iridaceae corm plant.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphids: Soft new growth in autumn may attract aphid colonies; treat early with an insecticidal soap spray, as heavy infestations weaken the slender stems and distort flowers.

The reasons fairy bells isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming fairy bells 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 fairy bells 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 fairy bells to flower

Maximise sun. Give fairy bells 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 fairy bells and get the feeding right with the fairy bells 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

Fairy Bells 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 fairy bells care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Fairy Bells blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my fairy bells flower?

Fairy Bells 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 fairy bells bloom?

Give fairy bells 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 fairy bells normally bloom?