Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Southern Heath bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Southern Heath, Spanish Heath, Spanish Tree Heath (Erica australis).

More about southern heath

About Southern Heath

Erica australis · also called Southern Heath, Spanish Heath · flowering

Erica australis is an upright, woody evergreen shrub native to the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa (Morocco), where it grows on heathlands and scrubby hillsides in acidic, well-drained soils. From mid-spring to early summer it bears masses of tubular, purplish-pink flowers that are highly attractive to bees. The single most important care requirement is acidic, free-draining soil — alkaline or waterlogged conditions cause rapid chlorosis and decline. Erica is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons southern heath isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming southern heath 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 southern heath 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 southern heath to flower

Maximise sun. Give southern heath 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 southern heath and get the feeding right with the southern heath 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

Southern Heath 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 southern heath care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Southern Heath blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my southern heath flower?

Southern Heath 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 southern heath bloom?

Give southern heath 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 southern heath normally bloom?