Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Kashmir Purple cranesbill (Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple').

More about geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple'

About Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple'

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' · also called Kashmir Purple cranesbill · flowering

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' is a vigorous, spreading hardy cranesbill with deeply divided leaves and large, saucer-shaped lilac-purple flowers veined in a deeper violet through summer. Tolerant of most soils including clay and adaptable to sun or part shade, it forms reliable, weed-suppressing ground cover for borders and naturalistic plantings.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Post-flowering sprawl: Growth can flop and brown after the main flush. A hard cut-back restores compact leaves and often a second, lighter bloom.

The reasons geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' and get the feeding right with the geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' 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 clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' flower?

Geranium clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' bloom?

Give geranium clarkei 'kashmir purple' 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 clarkei 'kashmir purple' normally bloom?