Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Coral Bells 'Palace Purple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Coral bells, Alumroot (Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple').

More about coral bells 'palace purple'

About Coral Bells 'Palace Purple'

Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' · also called Coral bells, Alumroot · flowering

'Palace Purple' is a classic coral bells grown chiefly for its bronze-purple, maple-shaped evergreen foliage, topped in summer by airy sprays of tiny cream flowers. A clump-forming, mound-shaped perennial, it suits borders, edging, and containers. Reliably hardy and pet-safe, it performs best in part shade with rich, well-drained soil that never waterlogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons coral bells 'palace purple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming coral bells 'palace purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give coral bells 'palace purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' and get the feeding right with the coral bells 'palace purple' 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

Coral Bells 'Palace Purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Coral Bells 'Palace Purple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my coral bells 'palace purple' flower?

Coral Bells 'Palace Purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' bloom?

Give coral bells 'palace purple' 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 coral bells 'palace purple' normally bloom?