Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Weigela 'Florida Purpurea' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Purple-leaved Weigela, Weigela Purpurea, Wine-leaved Weigela (Weigela florida 'Purpurea').

More about weigela 'florida purpurea'

About Weigela 'Florida Purpurea'

Weigela florida 'Purpurea' · also called Purple-leaved Weigela, Weigela Purpurea · flowering

Weigela florida 'Purpurea' is a compact deciduous shrub valued for its deep bronze-purple foliage and clusters of funnel-shaped, rose-pink to deep crimson flowers in late spring and early summer, with occasional repeat blooms in late summer. It provides excellent year-round colour contrast in mixed borders. Weigela is generally considered non-toxic to pets, though no detailed ASPCA listing exists.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy, overcrowded growth: Prune out one-third of the oldest stems at the base immediately after the main spring flowering to keep the plant compact and well-branched.

The reasons weigela 'florida purpurea' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming weigela 'florida purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' to flower

Maximise sun. Give weigela 'florida purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' and get the feeding right with the weigela 'florida purpurea' 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

Weigela 'Florida Purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Weigela 'Florida Purpurea' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my weigela 'florida purpurea' flower?

Weigela 'Florida Purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' bloom?

Give weigela 'florida purpurea' 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 weigela 'florida purpurea' normally bloom?