Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Greenspire Linden bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Greenspire Linden, Greenspire Little-Leaf Linden (Tilia cordata 'Greenspire').

More about greenspire linden

About Greenspire Linden

Tilia cordata 'Greenspire' · also called Greenspire Linden, Greenspire Little-Leaf Linden · flowering

Greenspire Linden is a superb street and garden tree — a cultivar of small-leaved lime selected for its strongly upright, oval crown, straight trunk, and uniform form. In midsummer it bears fragrant, nectar-rich creamy-yellow flowers adored by bees and other pollinators. One of the most widely planted urban trees in North America and Europe for its clean habit, tough constitution, and excellent air pollution tolerance.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons greenspire linden isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming greenspire linden 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 greenspire linden 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 greenspire linden to flower

Maximise sun. Give greenspire linden 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 greenspire linden and get the feeding right with the greenspire linden 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

Greenspire Linden 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 greenspire linden care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Greenspire Linden blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my greenspire linden flower?

Greenspire Linden 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 greenspire linden bloom?

Give greenspire linden 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 greenspire linden normally bloom?