Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Trailing Iceplant, Trailing Ice Plant, Showy Lampranthus (Lampranthus spectabilis).

More about trailing iceplant

About Trailing Iceplant

Lampranthus spectabilis · also called Trailing Iceplant, Trailing Ice Plant · flowering

A vigorous, trailing South African succulent groundcover producing a spectacular late-spring to early-summer display of magenta, purple, pink, or red daisy-like flowers. Thrives in full sun and sharply drained, poor soil. Widely grown as a groundcover on coastal banks and rockeries. Frost-tender; overwinter under glass in cold climates.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy growth and poor flowering: Caused by insufficient light or excessive nitrogen. Prune back hard after flowering to maintain compact shape and encourage bushy regrowth. Move container plants to the brightest available position.

The reasons trailing iceplant isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming trailing iceplant 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 iceplant 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 iceplant to flower

Maximise sun. Give trailing iceplant 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 iceplant and get the feeding right with the trailing iceplant 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 Iceplant 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 iceplant care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Trailing Iceplant blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my trailing iceplant flower?

Trailing Iceplant 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 iceplant bloom?

Give trailing iceplant 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 iceplant normally bloom?