Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Glandular Heron's Bill bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Glandular Heron's Bill, Black-Eyed Heron's Bill, Glandular Stork's Bill (Erodium glandulosum).

More about glandular heron's bill

About Glandular Heron's Bill

Erodium glandulosum · also called Glandular Heron's Bill, Black-Eyed Heron's Bill · flowering

Erodium glandulosum is a compact herbaceous perennial native to the mountains of Spain and Portugal (Pyrenees and Iberian highlands), where it grows in rocky, well-drained limestone soils. It forms low, mound-like rosettes of glandular, silver-green, pinnately divided leaves and bears clusters of lilac-pink flowers with darker blotched upper petals throughout summer. The single most important care fact is that it demands sharp drainage and protection from prolonged winter wet, which will rot the crown far more readily than cold alone. Not documented as toxic to cats or dogs; classified as mildly-toxic due to limited species-specific ASPCA data.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons glandular heron's bill isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming glandular heron's bill 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 glandular heron's bill 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 glandular heron's bill to flower

Maximise sun. Give glandular heron's bill 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 glandular heron's bill and get the feeding right with the glandular heron's bill 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

Glandular Heron's Bill 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 glandular heron's bill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Glandular Heron's Bill blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my glandular heron's bill flower?

Glandular Heron's Bill 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 glandular heron's bill bloom?

Give glandular heron's bill 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 glandular heron's bill normally bloom?