Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ice Dance Sedge bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called ice dance sedge, variegated japanese sedge (Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance').

More about ice dance sedge

About Ice Dance Sedge

Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' · also called ice dance sedge, variegated japanese sedge · flowering

Ice Dance is a tough, spreading Japanese sedge with glossy dark-green leaves edged crisp white. Slowly rhizomatous, it forms a dense evergreen groundcover that excels in shade and tolerates difficult sites. It needs moist, well-drained soil and copes with deep shade, dry shade once established, and foot-edge planting. Insignificant brown flower spikes appear in late spring.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons ice dance sedge isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ice dance sedge 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 ice dance sedge 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 ice dance sedge to flower

Maximise sun. Give ice dance sedge 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 ice dance sedge and get the feeding right with the ice dance sedge 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

Ice Dance Sedge 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 ice dance sedge care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ice Dance Sedge blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ice dance sedge flower?

Ice Dance Sedge 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 ice dance sedge bloom?

Give ice dance sedge 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 ice dance sedge normally bloom?