Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Monkeyflower, Common Monkeyflower, Yellow Monkey Flower, Seep Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus).

More about monkeyflower

About Monkeyflower

Mimulus guttatus · also called Monkeyflower, Common Monkeyflower · flowering

Mimulus guttatus is a short-lived herbaceous perennial native to moist stream banks, seeps, and wet meadows across western North America, now naturalised in the British Isles where it can be invasive near waterways. It demands consistently wet to waterlogged soil and full sun to light shade, producing bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers spotted red in the throat from late spring through summer. The key care priority is never letting the soil dry out — even brief drought causes rapid wilting and collapse. Toxicity to cats and dogs is not confirmed by the ASPCA; treat with caution.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons monkeyflower isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming monkeyflower 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 monkeyflower 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 monkeyflower to flower

Maximise sun. Give monkeyflower 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 monkeyflower and get the feeding right with the monkeyflower 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

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

Monkeyflower blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my monkeyflower flower?

Monkeyflower 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 monkeyflower bloom?

Give monkeyflower 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 monkeyflower normally bloom?