Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Mrs Bradshaw avens, scarlet avens (Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw').

More about geum 'mrs bradshaw'

About Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw'

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' · also called Mrs Bradshaw avens, scarlet avens · flowering

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' is a cottage-garden favourite forming clumps of hairy green leaves topped by wiry stems of semi-double, glowing scarlet-red flowers from late spring through summer. Long-flowering and cheerful, it thrives in sunny to lightly shaded borders. Regular deadileading extends the display, and it associates beautifully with blues and yellows in mixed plantings.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced flowering without deadheading: Leaving spent blooms slows reflowering. Remove faded flowers regularly to prolong the season.

The reasons geum 'mrs bradshaw' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming geum 'mrs bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' to flower

Maximise sun. Give geum 'mrs bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' and get the feeding right with the geum 'mrs bradshaw' 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

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my geum 'mrs bradshaw' flower?

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' bloom?

Give geum 'mrs bradshaw' 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 geum 'mrs bradshaw' normally bloom?