Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Glory of the Snow bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Glory of the snow, Forbes' glory of the snow, Star of the snow (Chionodoxa forbesii).

More about glory of the snow

About Glory of the Snow

Chionodoxa forbesii · also called Glory of the snow, Forbes' glory of the snow · flowering

Glory of the snow is a small, early-spring-flowering bulb native to the mountains of western Turkey, producing clusters of upward-facing, sky-blue flowers with a contrasting white eye on stems 10–15 cm tall. It naturalises readily in short grass, gravel gardens, and beneath deciduous trees, spreading both by seed and offsets to form dense drifts over time. The single most important care rule is to leave the foliage to die back completely before mowing or removing it, as the leaves feed the bulb for next year. The bulbs can cause mild gastrointestinal upset if ingested and should be kept out of reach of pets.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons glory of the snow isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming glory of the snow 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 glory of the snow 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 glory of the snow to flower

Maximise sun. Give glory of the snow 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 glory of the snow and get the feeding right with the glory of the snow 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

Glory of the Snow 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 glory of the snow care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Glory of the Snow blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my glory of the snow flower?

Glory of the Snow 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 glory of the snow bloom?

Give glory of the snow 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 glory of the snow normally bloom?