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Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lysimachia nummularia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Creeping Jenny, Moneywort, Herb Twopence (Lysimachia nummularia).

More about lysimachia nummularia

About Lysimachia nummularia

Lysimachia nummularia · also called Creeping Jenny, Moneywort · flowering

Creeping Jenny is a fast, ground-hugging perennial with round, coin-like leaves on prostrate stems that root as they run. Through summer it studs the carpet with cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers. Equally happy at pond margins, in damp borders, or trailing from containers, it is vigorous to the point of invasiveness in moist, fertile ground.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons lysimachia nummularia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lysimachia nummularia traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

  1. Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
  2. Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
  3. The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
  4. Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
  5. It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding lysimachia nummularia 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 lysimachia nummularia to flower

  1. Maximise sun. Give lysimachia nummularia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
  2. Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
  3. Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
  4. 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 lysimachia nummularia and get the feeding right with the lysimachia nummularia 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

Lysimachia nummularia 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 lysimachia nummularia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lysimachia nummularia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lysimachia nummularia flower?

Lysimachia nummularia 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 lysimachia nummularia bloom?

Give lysimachia nummularia 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 lysimachia nummularia normally bloom?

Lysimachia nummularia flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

What should I do with lysimachia nummularia after it flowers?

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.

What is the single biggest mistake stopping lysimachia nummularia flowering?

Feeding lysimachia nummularia a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

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