Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Freesia 'Yellow Passion' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Yellow Passion freesia, golden freesia, yellow fragrant freesia (Freesia 'Yellow Passion').

More about freesia 'yellow passion'

About Freesia 'Yellow Passion'

Freesia 'Yellow Passion' · also called Yellow Passion freesia, golden freesia · flowering

Freesia 'Yellow Passion' is a tender corm freesia bearing strongly fragrant golden-yellow blooms on arching, one-sided spikes. Excellent for cutting, pots and the cool greenhouse, it wants full sun and gritty, free-draining soil. Cool nights trigger flowering; after bloom the leaves recharge the corm before a dry summer rest.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Flopping flower stems: Tall spikes lean and fall over without support. Use twiggy stakes or grow-through grids and grow in full sun for stronger stems.

The reasons freesia 'yellow passion' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming freesia 'yellow passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' to flower

Maximise sun. Give freesia 'yellow passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' and get the feeding right with the freesia 'yellow passion' 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

Freesia 'Yellow Passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Freesia 'Yellow Passion' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my freesia 'yellow passion' flower?

Freesia 'Yellow Passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' bloom?

Give freesia 'yellow passion' 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 freesia 'yellow passion' normally bloom?