Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Pau's Germander, Bitter Germander (Teucrium carolipaui).

More about pau's germander

About Pau's Germander

Teucrium carolipaui · also called Pau's Germander, Bitter Germander · flowering

Teucrium carolipaui is a small, aromatic subshrub endemic to southeastern Spain (Murcia and Alicante provinces), where it grows in the driest scrubland, rocky ravines, and stony steppes on calcareous, gypseous, or marl-saline soils. It is closely allied to other compact Iberian germanders and produces the typical two-lipped flowers of the genus in summer. Excellent drainage and full sun are the key requirements; it is well adapted to poor, alkaline substrates and summer drought. The plant is mildly toxic if ingested, consistent with the hepatotoxic diterpene chemistry documented across the Teucrium genus.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons pau's germander isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming pau's 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 pau's 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 pau's germander to flower

Maximise sun. Give pau's 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 pau's germander and get the feeding right with the pau's 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

Pau's 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 pau's germander care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Pau's Germander blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my pau's germander flower?

Pau's 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 pau's germander bloom?

Give pau's 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 pau's germander normally bloom?