Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cape Bugle Lily bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Bugle Lily, Watsonia (Watsonia borbonica).

More about cape bugle lily

About Cape Bugle Lily

Watsonia borbonica · also called Bugle Lily, Watsonia · flowering

Cape Bugle Lily is a tall, graceful South African cormous perennial bearing arching spikes of pink to magenta tubular flowers in late spring and summer. A popular garden plant in warm climates, it naturalises freely and tolerates coastal conditions. Prefers full sun and excellent drainage. Toxicity to pets is uncertain — treat as mildly toxic.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Invasive spread: Self-seeds freely and can become invasive in mild climates (it is a declared weed in parts of Australia and California). Deadhead after flowering to prevent seeding.

The reasons cape bugle lily isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cape bugle lily 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 cape bugle lily 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 cape bugle lily to flower

Maximise sun. Give cape bugle lily 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 cape bugle lily and get the feeding right with the cape bugle lily 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

Cape Bugle Lily 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 cape bugle lily care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cape Bugle Lily blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cape bugle lily flower?

Cape Bugle Lily 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 cape bugle lily bloom?

Give cape bugle lily 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 cape bugle lily normally bloom?