Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Ballerina cranesbill, Ballerina grey-leaved geranium (Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina').

More about geranium cinereum 'ballerina'

About Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina'

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' · also called Ballerina cranesbill, Ballerina grey-leaved geranium · flowering

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' is a long-blooming alpine cranesbill forming a low rosette of soft grey-green leaves. From late spring it produces a long succession of cupped, pale lilac-pink flowers boldly veined and blotched in deep purple-maroon. Compact and sun-loving, it is ideal for rock gardens, troughs, gravel and the very front of well-drained borders.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Decline in shade or rich soil: Too little sun or over-feeding makes growth loose and floppy with sparse flowers. Site in full sun and keep the soil lean and gritty.

The reasons geranium cinereum 'ballerina' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' to flower

Maximise sun. Give geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' and get the feeding right with the geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my geranium cinereum 'ballerina' flower?

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' bloom?

Give geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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 geranium cinereum 'ballerina' normally bloom?