Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Small's Beardtongue bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Small's Beardtongue, Small's Penstemon (Penstemon smallii).

More about small's beardtongue

About Small's Beardtongue

Penstemon smallii · also called Small's Beardtongue, Small's Penstemon · flowering

Small's Beardtongue is a southeastern US native perennial endemic to the Southern Appalachians, bearing rosy-pink to lavender tubular flowers with striking white-striped throats in late spring. It thrives in rocky woodland edges, well-drained slopes, and acidic soils, and is an excellent hummingbird and bee plant for naturalistic gardens.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons small's beardtongue isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming small's beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue to flower

Maximise sun. Give small's beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue and get the feeding right with the small's beardtongue 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

Small's Beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Small's Beardtongue blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my small's beardtongue flower?

Small's Beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue bloom?

Give small's beardtongue 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 small's beardtongue normally bloom?