Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Silver Mound Artemisia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Silver Mound, Silver Mound artemisia, silky wormwood (Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana').

More about silver mound artemisia

About Silver Mound Artemisia

Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana' · also called Silver Mound, Silver Mound artemisia · flowering

Silver Mound is a compact ornamental wormwood grown for its soft, feathery, silvery-silken foliage that forms a neat cushion-like dome. Its insignificant flowers are secondary to the shimmering leaf texture, which contrasts beautifully in borders and edging. A sun-loving, drought-hardy perennial, it demands sharp drainage and lean soil, and tends to split open in rich or moist ground.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons silver mound artemisia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming silver mound artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia to flower

Maximise sun. Give silver mound artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia and get the feeding right with the silver mound artemisia 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

Silver Mound Artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Silver Mound Artemisia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my silver mound artemisia flower?

Silver Mound Artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia bloom?

Give silver mound artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia normally bloom?