Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Green Gem Boxwood bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Green Gem Boxwood, Compact Boxwood (Buxus 'Green Gem').

More about green gem boxwood

About Green Gem Boxwood

Buxus 'Green Gem' · also called Green Gem Boxwood, Compact Boxwood · flowering

Green Gem Boxwood is a compact, naturally rounded evergreen shrub from the cold-hardy Sheridan hybrid series, holding its dark-green color well through winter. It forms tidy globes for low hedges, edging and containers with minimal shearing. Boxwood is toxic to cats, dogs and horses if the foliage is eaten.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons green gem boxwood isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming green gem boxwood 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 green gem boxwood 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 green gem boxwood to flower

Maximise sun. Give green gem boxwood 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 green gem boxwood and get the feeding right with the green gem boxwood 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

Green Gem Boxwood 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 green gem boxwood care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Green Gem Boxwood blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my green gem boxwood flower?

Green Gem Boxwood 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 green gem boxwood bloom?

Give green gem boxwood 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 green gem boxwood normally bloom?