Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Turkish Catmint bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Turkish Catmint (Nepeta phyllochlamys).

More about turkish catmint

About Turkish Catmint

Nepeta phyllochlamys · also called Turkish Catmint · flowering

Turkish Catmint is a rare, compact species endemic to a small area of northwestern Turkey. It forms low, silver-grey mounds of woolly, aromatic foliage topped with pale lavender-blue flowers in summer. Well-suited to rock gardens, raised beds, and gravel plantings, it demands perfect drainage and full sun, and is intolerant of winter wet.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to reflower: Plants may not produce a second flush without deadheading and light trimming. Cut back spent flower stems by one-third immediately after the first bloom to encourage a second flush and maintain a tidy habit.

The reasons turkish catmint isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming turkish catmint 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 turkish catmint 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 turkish catmint to flower

Maximise sun. Give turkish catmint 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 turkish catmint and get the feeding right with the turkish catmint 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

Turkish Catmint 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 turkish catmint care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Turkish Catmint blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my turkish catmint flower?

Turkish Catmint 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 turkish catmint bloom?

Give turkish catmint 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 turkish catmint normally bloom?