Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Red Prince Weigela (Weigela 'Red Prince').

More about weigela 'red prince'

About Weigela 'Red Prince'

Weigela 'Red Prince' · also called Red Prince Weigela · flowering

A vigorous deciduous shrub producing bright true-red non-fading trumpet flowers in late spring, with a strong repeat bloom in mid-summer — one of the best re-bloomers in the genus. Mid-green foliage remains clean and disease-resistant through the season. Hardy and easy-care. Mildly-toxic as a precaution.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse repeat bloom: Ensure adequate sun and do not prune after late spring — cutting in summer removes the growth that carries the secondary flower buds.

The reasons weigela 'red prince' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming weigela 'red prince' 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 'red prince' 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 'red prince' to flower

Maximise sun. Give weigela 'red prince' 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 'red prince' and get the feeding right with the weigela 'red prince' 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 'Red Prince' 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 'red prince' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Weigela 'Red Prince' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my weigela 'red prince' flower?

Weigela 'Red Prince' 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 'red prince' bloom?

Give weigela 'red prince' 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 'red prince' normally bloom?