Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called strawberries and cream ribbon grass, pink-tinged ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea 'Strawberries and Cream').
More about strawberries and cream ribbon grass
About Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass
Phalaris arundinacea 'Strawberries and Cream' · also called strawberries and cream ribbon grass, pink-tinged ribbon grass · flowering
'Strawberries and Cream' is a selection of ribbon grass whose white-and-green variegated blades take on a soft pink or strawberry flush in cool spring and autumn weather. Like all ribbon grass it is vigorous and rhizomatous, spreading aggressively and best contained. Tough and adaptable to sun or shade and wet or dry soils, it offers eye-catching cool-season colour with minimal fuss.
Plant type: flowering
The reasons strawberries and cream ribbon grass isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming strawberries and cream ribbon grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass to flower
- Maximise sun. Give strawberries and cream ribbon grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass and get the feeding right with the strawberries and cream ribbon grass 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
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my strawberries and cream ribbon grass flower?
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass bloom?
Give strawberries and cream ribbon grass 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 strawberries and cream ribbon grass normally bloom?
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with strawberries and cream ribbon grass after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping strawberries and cream ribbon grass flowering?
Feeding strawberries and cream ribbon grass a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 1410 bloom guides in the Growli library