Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Wood Avens bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Wood Avens, Herb Bennet, Colewort, Old Man's Whiskers (Geum urbanum).

More about wood avens

About Wood Avens

Geum urbanum · also called Wood Avens, Herb Bennet · flowering

Wood avens is a semi-evergreen perennial native throughout the UK, found in shaded woodland, hedgerow bases, and damp scrub on a wide range of soils from acidic to calcareous. Small, bright yellow five-petalled flowers from May to August are followed by distinctive bur-like seed heads that cling to fur and clothing, aiding dispersal. It is one of the easiest shade-tolerant perennials for a wildlife garden, requiring no feeding and tolerating neglect, but it self-seeds freely and can become weedy. Wood avens is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs; the ASPCA lists avens as safe, and it has a long history of culinary use of the clove-scented roots.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons wood avens isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming wood avens 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 wood avens 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 wood avens to flower

Maximise sun. Give wood avens 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 wood avens and get the feeding right with the wood avens 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

Wood Avens 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 wood avens care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Wood Avens blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my wood avens flower?

Wood Avens 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 wood avens bloom?

Give wood avens 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 wood avens normally bloom?