Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Trailing Fuchsia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Trailing Fuchsia, Creeping Fuchsia, Procumbent Fuchsia (Fuchsia procumbens).

More about trailing fuchsia

About Trailing Fuchsia

Fuchsia procumbens · also called Trailing Fuchsia, Creeping Fuchsia · flowering

Fuchsia procumbens is a diminutive, ground-hugging trailing perennial endemic to the coastal cliffs and sandy shores of New Zealand's North Island, making it one of the most distinctive and unusual members of the genus. It produces tiny upward-facing flowers with greenish-yellow tubes, deep purple sepals, and bright red-tipped blue stamens — unlike any other fuchsia — followed by showy, large cherry-red berries disproportionate to the tiny plant. The most important care fact is that it is the hardiest fuchsia species from the Southern Hemisphere, surviving temperatures to around -5°C (23°F) in a sheltered position, but still requires protection in most UK winters beyond the mildest coastal zones. Fuchsia is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons trailing fuchsia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming trailing fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia to flower

Maximise sun. Give trailing fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia and get the feeding right with the trailing fuchsia 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

Trailing Fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Trailing Fuchsia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my trailing fuchsia flower?

Trailing Fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia bloom?

Give trailing fuchsia 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 trailing fuchsia normally bloom?