Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Knotted cranesbill, Knotted geranium (Geranium nodosum).

More about geranium nodosum

About Geranium nodosum

Geranium nodosum · also called Knotted cranesbill, Knotted geranium · flowering

Knotted cranesbill is a tough, shade-loving European woodland perennial with glossy, three-to-five-lobed leaves and long-lasting funnel-shaped flowers in pink to lilac-purple, often faintly veined, from late spring well into autumn. One of the best hardy geraniums for dry shade, it spreads gently, copes under trees and dies back in winter.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse flowering in deep dry shade: Fewer blooms where light and moisture are very low. It still provides good foliage cover; add some light or moisture to lift flowering.

The reasons geranium nodosum isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming geranium nodosum 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 nodosum 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 nodosum to flower

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

Geranium nodosum blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my geranium nodosum flower?

Geranium nodosum 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 nodosum bloom?

Give geranium nodosum 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 nodosum normally bloom?