Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Short-Sepalled Lewisia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Short-Sepalled Lewisia, Short-Sepal Bitterroot (Lewisia brachycalyx).

More about short-sepalled lewisia

About Short-Sepalled Lewisia

Lewisia brachycalyx · also called Short-Sepalled Lewisia, Short-Sepal Bitterroot · flowering

Native to moist mountain meadows and subalpine grasslands in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Baja California, Lewisia brachycalyx is a deciduous alpine perennial that forms a flat rosette of narrow, fleshy leaves and produces large, showy white or pale pink flowers in early spring before going completely dormant by midsummer. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is regarded as one of the showiest deciduous lewisias for the rock garden. The essential care rule is to keep the taproot bone-dry throughout the summer dormancy period, as moisture during this period invariably causes fatal rot. Lewisia is not listed by the ASPCA; classified mildly-toxic as a precaution.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Slugs and snails outdoors: Fleshy rosette leaves are very attractive to slugs in spring. Apply a sharp-grit topdressing and use wildlife-safe slug pellets; damage to the leaves before flowering can significantly reduce the floral display.

The reasons short-sepalled lewisia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming short-sepalled lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia to flower

Maximise sun. Give short-sepalled lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia and get the feeding right with the short-sepalled lewisia 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

Short-Sepalled Lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Short-Sepalled Lewisia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my short-sepalled lewisia flower?

Short-Sepalled Lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia bloom?

Give short-sepalled lewisia 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 short-sepalled lewisia normally bloom?