Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lamb's Ear bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called lamb's ear, woolly hedgenettle, bunny ears (Stachys byzantina).

More about lamb's ear

About Lamb's Ear

Stachys byzantina · also called lamb's ear, woolly hedgenettle · flowering

Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) is a low, mat-forming perennial grown for its thick, silvery, velvety-soft foliage and woolly spikes of small purple flowers. A drought-tolerant edging and groundcover plant from the Middle East, it thrives in lean, sunny, well-drained sites and spreads steadily into silver carpets. Evergreen in mild winters, it dislikes humidity and wet feet above all.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Centre die-back: Established mats often die out in the middle, especially after flowering or wet weather; remove flower spikes and divide every 2-3 years to refresh.

The reasons lamb's ear isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lamb's ear 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 lamb's ear 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 lamb's ear to flower

Maximise sun. Give lamb's ear 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 lamb's ear and get the feeding right with the lamb's ear 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

Lamb's Ear 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 lamb's ear care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lamb's Ear blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lamb's ear flower?

Lamb's Ear 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 lamb's ear bloom?

Give lamb's ear 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 lamb's ear normally bloom?