Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called East Friesland sage, East Friesland salvia (Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland').

More about salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland'

About Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland'

Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' · also called East Friesland sage, East Friesland salvia · flowering

'Ostfriesland', sold as East Friesland sage, is a tidy, free-flowering hardy perennial with narrow spikes of violet-purple flowers over aromatic grey-green foliage. A reliable, bee-magnet border plant, it wants full sun and sharp drainage, blooms from early summer, and reblooms generously when sheared back after the first flush.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced rebloom: Leaving faded spikes suppresses new buds. Cut back by about a third after the main flush for a second wave of flowers.

The reasons salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' to flower

Maximise sun. Give salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' and get the feeding right with the salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' 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

Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' flower?

Salvia nemorosa 'Ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' bloom?

Give salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' 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 salvia nemorosa 'ostfriesland' normally bloom?