Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Spiraea 'Little Princess' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Little Princess Spirea, Dwarf Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess').

More about spiraea 'little princess'

About Spiraea 'Little Princess'

Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess' · also called Little Princess Spirea, Dwarf Japanese Spirea · flowering

A dwarf, spreading deciduous shrub bearing a profusion of soft rose-pink flat-topped flower clusters from midsummer into early autumn. One of the most compact Japanese spireas, forming a neat, rounded mound that rarely needs hard pruning. Ideal for small gardens, container planting, or low edging. Mildly-toxic as a precaution.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced flowering after late pruning: Although a summer bloomer on new wood, prune in early spring — never late summer or autumn — to allow maximum growth for flowering by midsummer.

The reasons spiraea 'little princess' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming spiraea 'little princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' to flower

Maximise sun. Give spiraea 'little princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' and get the feeding right with the spiraea 'little princess' 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

Spiraea 'Little Princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Spiraea 'Little Princess' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my spiraea 'little princess' flower?

Spiraea 'Little Princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' bloom?

Give spiraea 'little princess' 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 spiraea 'little princess' normally bloom?