Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Prince Albert's Yew bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Prince Albert's yew, mañío hembra (Saxegothaea conspicua).

More about prince albert's yew

About Prince Albert's Yew

Saxegothaea conspicua · also called Prince Albert's yew, mañío hembra · flowering

Prince Albert's yew is a slow-growing evergreen conifer from the cool, wet temperate rainforests of Chile and Argentina. Despite the name it is a podocarp relative, not a true yew, with soft, flattened, yew-like needles, drooping shoot tips, and small fleshy cones. It favours cool, moist, acidic, free-draining woodland soil, shade or part sun, and shelter.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons prince albert's yew isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming prince albert's yew 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 prince albert's yew 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 prince albert's yew to flower

Maximise sun. Give prince albert's yew 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 prince albert's yew and get the feeding right with the prince albert's yew 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

Prince Albert's Yew 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 prince albert's yew care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Prince Albert's Yew blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my prince albert's yew flower?

Prince Albert's Yew 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 prince albert's yew bloom?

Give prince albert's yew 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 prince albert's yew normally bloom?