Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Scarlet Guernsey Lily, Cape Colony Lily, Jersey Lily (Nerine sarniensis).

More about guernsey lily

About Guernsey Lily

Nerine sarniensis · also called Scarlet Guernsey Lily, Cape Colony Lily · flowering

Nerine sarniensis is a South African bulb famed for its dazzling scarlet, salmon, or pink iridescent flowers — each petal catches light like spun glass. Produces flowers in early autumn before leaves appear. Less hardy than N. bowdenii and best grown under glass in the UK. Toxic to pets due to Amaryllidaceae alkaloids concentrated in the bulb.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Almost always due to being given water during summer dormancy or insufficient summer heat. Keep completely dry from May/June until the first sign of a flower spike.

The reasons guernsey lily isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming guernsey lily 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 guernsey lily 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 guernsey lily to flower

Maximise sun. Give guernsey lily 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 guernsey lily and get the feeding right with the guernsey lily 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

Guernsey Lily 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 guernsey lily care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Guernsey Lily blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my guernsey lily flower?

Guernsey Lily 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 guernsey lily bloom?

Give guernsey lily 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 guernsey lily normally bloom?