Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Mountain Germander, Creeping Germander (Teucrium montanum).

More about mountain germander

About Mountain Germander

Teucrium montanum · also called Mountain Germander, Creeping Germander · flowering

Teucrium montanum is a low, mat-forming evergreen subshrub native to calcareous rocky hillsides and limestone grasslands across central and southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans. It bears narrow, grey-green aromatic leaves and produces creamy-white to pale yellow flowers on short terminal heads from June to September, attracting bees and butterflies. Full sun and sharply drained, alkaline soil are essential; it excels in rock gardens and dry-stone wall crevices. The plant is mildly toxic if ingested due to diterpene compounds present throughout the Teucrium genus.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons mountain germander isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming mountain germander 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 mountain germander 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 mountain germander to flower

Maximise sun. Give mountain germander 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 mountain germander and get the feeding right with the mountain germander 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

Mountain Germander 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 mountain germander care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Mountain Germander blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my mountain germander flower?

Mountain Germander 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 mountain germander bloom?

Give mountain germander 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 mountain germander normally bloom?