Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Armenian cranesbill (Geranium psilostemon).

More about geranium psilostemon

About Geranium psilostemon

Geranium psilostemon · also called Armenian cranesbill · flowering

Geranium psilostemon, Armenian cranesbill, is a large, statuesque hardy geranium making a bold clump of deeply lobed leaves topped in summer by vivid magenta flowers with striking black centres and veins. It needs space, supports itself fairly well, and brings electric colour to mixed borders. Foliage frequently turns red and orange in autumn.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Flopping in midsummer: Tall stems lean after flowering or in shade and wind. Insert twiggy supports early in the season, grow in good light, and shear the whole plant back after the main flush to reflush tidily.

The reasons geranium psilostemon isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming geranium psilostemon 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 psilostemon 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 psilostemon to flower

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

Geranium psilostemon blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my geranium psilostemon flower?

Geranium psilostemon 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 psilostemon bloom?

Give geranium psilostemon 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 psilostemon normally bloom?