Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Blue Wonder catmint (Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder').

More about nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder'

About Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder'

Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' · also called Blue Wonder catmint · flowering

A compact, low-growing catmint forming neat mounds of aromatic grey-green leaves topped with deep lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring into summer. 'Blue Wonder' is tidier and smaller than 'Walker's Low', making it ideal for edging, paths, and the front of borders. Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and bee-friendly, it reblooms well after a midseason shear.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Tailing-off bloom: Flowering fades without a midseason cutback; shear spent spikes to encourage rebloom.

The reasons nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' to flower

Maximise sun. Give nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' and get the feeding right with the nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' 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

Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' flower?

Nepeta racemosa 'Blue Wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' bloom?

Give nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' 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 nepeta racemosa 'blue wonder' normally bloom?