Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Mimulus ringens bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Allegheny Monkeyflower, Square-Stemmed Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens).

More about mimulus ringens

About Mimulus ringens

Mimulus ringens · also called Allegheny Monkeyflower, Square-Stemmed Monkeyflower · flowering

Allegheny monkeyflower is an upright North American wetland perennial of marshes, wet meadows and stream banks. Square stems carry paired, lance-shaped leaves and a long summer succession of two-lipped, lavender-blue flowers loved by bumblebees and hummingbirds. A reliable, well-behaved marginal for bog gardens and rain gardens, it needs steady moisture and an open, sunny position to perform.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Drought stress: The commonest cause of failure. If the soil dries, flowering stops and foliage wilts and browns. Keep roots permanently moist to wet.

The reasons mimulus ringens isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens to flower

Maximise sun. Give mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens and get the feeding right with the mimulus ringens 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

Mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Mimulus ringens blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my mimulus ringens flower?

Mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens bloom?

Give mimulus ringens 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 mimulus ringens normally bloom?