Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Gallery Blue lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue').

More about lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue'

About Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue'

Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue' · also called Gallery Blue lupine · flowering

'Gallery Blue' is a compact, dwarf Russell-type lupin bred for tidy 45-60 cm spikes of rich blue pea-flowers, ideal for small borders, fronts of beds and containers. It blooms in early summer, prefers full sun and moist, slightly acidic, free-draining soil, and seldom needs staking. Like all lupins it is toxic to pets.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Lupin aphid: Large grey aphids colonise the spikes. Inspect frequently and rinse off or treat promptly; heavy infestation deforms flowers and saps the plant.

The reasons lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' to flower

Maximise sun. Give lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' and get the feeding right with the lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' 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

Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' flower?

Lupinus polyphyllus 'Gallery Blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' bloom?

Give lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' 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 lupinus polyphyllus 'gallery blue' normally bloom?