Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Western Skunk Cabbage bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Western Skunk Cabbage, Yellow Skunk Cabbage, American Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus).

More about western skunk cabbage

About Western Skunk Cabbage

Lysichiton americanus · also called Western Skunk Cabbage, Yellow Skunk Cabbage · flowering

Western Skunk Cabbage is a dramatic bog and streamside perennial native to western North America, producing enormous bright yellow spathes in early spring before the large, glossy, tropical-looking leaves emerge. The flowers emit a pungent skunk-like odour to attract early pollinators. A bold statement plant for wet woodland gardens and boggy stream margins.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Slow to establish from young plants: Transplanted specimens may sulk for 1–2 years before producing full-sized leaves and flowers. Ensure permanently moist, rich conditions and be patient; once established it is long-lived and increasingly vigorous.

The reasons western skunk cabbage isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming western skunk cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage to flower

Maximise sun. Give western skunk cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage and get the feeding right with the western skunk cabbage 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

Western Skunk Cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Western Skunk Cabbage blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my western skunk cabbage flower?

Western Skunk Cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage bloom?

Give western skunk cabbage 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 western skunk cabbage normally bloom?