Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Forbes' Glory of the Snow bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Forbes' Glory of the Snow, Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii).

More about forbes' glory of the snow

About Forbes' Glory of the Snow

Chionodoxa forbesii · also called Forbes' Glory of the Snow, Glory of the Snow · flowering

A small, early-spring bulb from western Turkey producing racemes of 5–10 star-shaped blue flowers with white centres on short stems. Among the first bulbs to bloom, sometimes pushing through snow. It naturalises freely, self-seeds readily, and is excellent under deciduous trees, in rock gardens, or scattered through lawns. Hardy from zones 3–8.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to re-bloom: Caused by removing foliage too early after flowering. Allow leaves to yellow and die back naturally (typically 6 weeks after flowering) before cutting, so the bulb can store energy for the following season.

The reasons forbes' glory of the snow isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming forbes' glory of the snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow to flower

Maximise sun. Give forbes' glory of the snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow and get the feeding right with the forbes' glory of the snow 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

Forbes' Glory of the Snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Forbes' Glory of the Snow blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my forbes' glory of the snow flower?

Forbes' Glory of the Snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow bloom?

Give forbes' glory of the snow 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 forbes' glory of the snow normally bloom?