Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Twinspur, Barbera twinspur (Diascia barberae).

More about twinspur

About Twinspur

Diascia barberae · also called Twinspur, Barbera twinspur · flowering

Twinspur is a dainty South African annual or short-lived perennial producing masses of small pink to coral tubular flowers with characteristic twin spurs on slender branching stems. It excels in cool-season gardens, window boxes, and hanging baskets, blooming most prolifically in spring and autumn when temperatures remain mild.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Summer dormancy / heat stress: Diascia barberae often goes dormant or stops flowering when temperatures consistently exceed 25°C. Cut back by half, reduce watering, and flowering typically resumes in cooler autumn weather.

The reasons twinspur isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming twinspur 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 twinspur 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 twinspur to flower

Maximise sun. Give twinspur 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 twinspur and get the feeding right with the twinspur 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

Twinspur 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 twinspur care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Twinspur blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my twinspur flower?

Twinspur 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 twinspur bloom?

Give twinspur 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 twinspur normally bloom?