Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Five-leaf akebia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Five-leaf akebia, Chocolate vine (Akebia x pentaphylla).

More about five-leaf akebia

About Five-leaf akebia

Akebia x pentaphylla · also called Five-leaf akebia, Chocolate vine · flowering

Five-leaf akebia is a vigorous, semi-evergreen twining climber — a natural hybrid of Akebia quinata and A. trifoliata — bearing racemes of lightly vanilla-scented reddish-purple flowers in spring. It adapts to sun or shade in almost any well-drained soil and is very hardy. Rarely fruits without cross-pollination. Toxicity is not established.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Overly vigorous / invasive growth: In favourable conditions Akebia is an extremely vigorous climber and can smother nearby plants or structures. Prune hard after flowering in late spring to maintain size; it tolerates cutting back to old wood.

The reasons five-leaf akebia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia to flower

Maximise sun. Give five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia and get the feeding right with the five-leaf akebia 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

Five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Five-leaf akebia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my five-leaf akebia flower?

Five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia bloom?

Give five-leaf akebia 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 five-leaf akebia normally bloom?