Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Angel pelargonium Madame Layal, Pansy-faced pelargonium (Pelargonium 'Madame Layal').

More about pelargonium 'madame layal'

About Pelargonium 'Madame Layal'

Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' · also called Angel pelargonium Madame Layal, Pansy-faced pelargonium · flowering

Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' is a dainty angel pelargonium with charming pansy-like, bicoloured flowers: upper petals deep maroon-purple and lower petals soft mauve-lilac edged white. Compact and bushy with small, lightly aromatic leaves, it flowers freely all summer. An old French cultivar, it makes an excellent windowsill, patio, or conservatory plant in bright light and free-draining, never-soggy compost.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy, shy-flowering growth: Too little light or excess nitrogen causes stretched stems and few blooms. Give full sun, pinch back, and feed high-potash.

The reasons pelargonium 'madame layal' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming pelargonium 'madame layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' to flower

Maximise sun. Give pelargonium 'madame layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' and get the feeding right with the pelargonium 'madame layal' 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

Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my pelargonium 'madame layal' flower?

Pelargonium 'Madame Layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' bloom?

Give pelargonium 'madame layal' 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 pelargonium 'madame layal' normally bloom?