Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Spanish Draba bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Spanish Draba, Spanish Whitlow Grass (Draba hispanica).

More about spanish draba

About Spanish Draba

Draba hispanica · also called Spanish Draba, Spanish Whitlow Grass · flowering

Spanish Draba is a compact, mat-forming alpine perennial native to the Iberian Peninsula and Pyrenees. It produces tight cushions of small grey-green leaves topped with bright yellow flower clusters in early spring. Best suited to rock gardens, scree beds, or alpine troughs, it demands excellent drainage and full sun to thrive in cultivation.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphid infestation: Clusters of grey or green aphids can colonise young spring growth and flower stems. Treat with a strong water jet or insecticidal soap; avoid systemic insecticides near pollinators visiting the flowers.

The reasons spanish draba isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming spanish draba 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 spanish draba 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 spanish draba to flower

Maximise sun. Give spanish draba 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 spanish draba and get the feeding right with the spanish draba 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

Spanish Draba 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 spanish draba care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Spanish Draba blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my spanish draba flower?

Spanish Draba 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 spanish draba bloom?

Give spanish draba 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 spanish draba normally bloom?