Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Purple Prairie Clover bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called purple prairie clover, violet prairie clover (Dalea purpurea).

More about purple prairie clover

About Purple Prairie Clover

Dalea purpurea · also called purple prairie clover, violet prairie clover · flowering

Purple prairie clover is a slender, deep-rooted legume of the central North American prairies, sending up wiry stems topped by thimble-shaped spikes that ring with rose-purple flowers and golden anthers in early to midsummer. A nitrogen-fixing pollinator favourite, it is exceptionally drought-tolerant and brings airy texture and fine colour to sunny meadows and dry borders.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Slow establishment: Seedlings put energy into roots first and may bloom little in year one. Be patient; established plants flower freely and live for many years.

The reasons purple prairie clover isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming purple prairie clover 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 purple prairie clover 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 purple prairie clover to flower

Maximise sun. Give purple prairie clover 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 purple prairie clover and get the feeding right with the purple prairie clover 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

Purple Prairie Clover 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 purple prairie clover care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Purple Prairie Clover blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my purple prairie clover flower?

Purple Prairie Clover 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 purple prairie clover bloom?

Give purple prairie clover 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 purple prairie clover normally bloom?