Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Foothill Penstemon, Bunchleaf Penstemon, Baja Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus).

More about foothill penstemon 'margarita bop'

About Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP'

Penstemon heterophyllus · also called Foothill Penstemon, Bunchleaf Penstemon · flowering

A compact California native perennial (and sub-shrub) producing an exceptionally long display of electric blue to violet tubular flowers from spring through summer. 'Margarita BOP' is a selected form with particularly vivid blue blooms and compact, tidy growth. Thrives in dry, sunny spots and is a top pollinator plant for western US gardens. Mildly toxic if ingested in quantity.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' to flower

Maximise sun. Give foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' and get the feeding right with the foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' 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

Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' flower?

Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' bloom?

Give foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' 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 foothill penstemon 'margarita bop' normally bloom?