Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lords-and-Ladies bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Lords-and-Ladies, Cuckoo Pint, Wild Arum, Jack-in-the-Pulpit (UK), Bobbins, Wake Robin, Adam and Eve (Arum maculatum).

More about lords-and-ladies

About Lords-and-Ladies

Arum maculatum · also called Lords-and-Ladies, Cuckoo Pint · flowering

A British and European woodland classic, producing spotted arrow-shaped leaves in winter, a pale greenish-cream spathe in spring, and vivid scarlet-orange berries on a bare stem in autumn. Thrives in deep shade under trees and hedgerows in moist, calcareous soil. All parts, especially the berries, are highly toxic to people and pets.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons lords-and-ladies isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lords-and-ladies 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 lords-and-ladies 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 lords-and-ladies to flower

Maximise sun. Give lords-and-ladies 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 lords-and-ladies and get the feeding right with the lords-and-ladies 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

Lords-and-Ladies 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 lords-and-ladies care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lords-and-Ladies blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lords-and-ladies flower?

Lords-and-Ladies 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 lords-and-ladies bloom?

Give lords-and-ladies 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 lords-and-ladies normally bloom?