Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Nottingham Catchfly, Nodding Catchfly (Silene nutans).

More about nottingham catchfly

About Nottingham Catchfly

Silene nutans · also called Nottingham Catchfly, Nodding Catchfly · flowering

Silene nutans is a slender, night-scented perennial native to dry calcareous rocks, chalk cliffs, and well-drained limestone grassland in the UK and across Europe, taking its name from the walls of Nottingham Castle where it was famously recorded. The nodding white flowers open at dusk and release a rich clove-like fragrance to attract moths. The most important care requirement is excellent drainage — the plant rots quickly in wet winter soil. As a Silene species not listed by the ASPCA, it is treated as mildly toxic pending formal assessment.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons nottingham catchfly isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming nottingham catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly to flower

Maximise sun. Give nottingham catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly and get the feeding right with the nottingham catchfly 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

Nottingham Catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Nottingham Catchfly blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my nottingham catchfly flower?

Nottingham Catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly bloom?

Give nottingham catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly normally bloom?