Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Two-Colour Vygie bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Two-Colour Vygie, Dew Flower (Drosanthemum bicolor).

More about two-colour vygie

About Two-Colour Vygie

Drosanthemum bicolor · also called Two-Colour Vygie, Dew Flower · flowering

A compact, erect South African succulent shrub bearing striking yellow daisy-like flowers tipped with red in spring. Exceptionally drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, it thrives in sandy, sharply drained soil under full sun. Ideal for Mediterranean-climate gardens, rockeries, and xeriscaping. Plants are short-lived and should be replaced from cuttings or seed.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Almost always due to insufficient direct sunlight. A position that receives fewer than 5 hours of full sun daily will result in non-flowering, leggy stems. Relocate to the sunniest available spot.

The reasons two-colour vygie isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming two-colour vygie 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 two-colour vygie 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 two-colour vygie to flower

Maximise sun. Give two-colour vygie 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 two-colour vygie and get the feeding right with the two-colour vygie 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

Two-Colour Vygie 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 two-colour vygie care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Two-Colour Vygie blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my two-colour vygie flower?

Two-Colour Vygie 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 two-colour vygie bloom?

Give two-colour vygie 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 two-colour vygie normally bloom?