Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Little Bunny Fountain Grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called little bunny fountain grass, miniature fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Little Bunny').

More about little bunny fountain grass

About Little Bunny Fountain Grass

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Little Bunny' · also called little bunny fountain grass, miniature fountain grass · flowering

'Little Bunny' is the dwarf of the fountain grass family, a tidy 30-45 cm clump of arching green blades topped in late summer with fuzzy, buff-pink foxtail plumes. It thrives in full sun and average soil, turns golden-amber in autumn, and is grown widely in rock gardens, edging, and containers across US and UK borders.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons little bunny fountain grass isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming little bunny fountain grass 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 little bunny fountain grass 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 little bunny fountain grass to flower

Maximise sun. Give little bunny fountain grass 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 little bunny fountain grass and get the feeding right with the little bunny fountain grass 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

Little Bunny Fountain Grass 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 little bunny fountain grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Little Bunny Fountain Grass blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my little bunny fountain grass flower?

Little Bunny Fountain Grass 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 little bunny fountain grass bloom?

Give little bunny fountain grass 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 little bunny fountain grass normally bloom?