That is puzzling. My Worcester Gold blooms reliably every year. It is in bloom now. It even reseeded. I don't fertilize mine either, but I use a lot of compost and horse manure all over my garden.

Do yours get full sun? Did you prune yours late in spring? I stopped pruning mine because I pruned one too much one year and ended up killing it. I may do selective pruning next spring.

Think DRAINAGE! and full sun.

I'm in Maine and plants in areas that remain remotely "soggy" succumb quickly. My own plants are planted in the sunniest, crummiest soil I have! The soil drains sharply and they seem to prosper. I lost a Buddleia because it was planted in soil too moist.

Some years my Caryopteris dies back more than others. I prune it sharply in early spring (March) and often have to wait until May to see any growth. It doesn't "do" much until it warms up... really mid-June for me, given my coastal location.

Good, sharp drainage, and full sun!

Of course, these worcester gold may bloom every year without a problem, but my previous blue caryopteris didn't. The varigated one comes back fine, it looks good, just doesn't bloom. It doesn't get very big though, but I don't think the varigated does get large. Mine only gets 18" tall. Just no bloom. Soil could be the problem, there is some clay soil, but I do try to amend the soil when I put the beds in, & I have many things that require good drainage that are doing well. I haven't pruned the Fairy Snow back,it is just so small I never think about it. Maybe Worcester will be different & bloom for me & it will never be an issue. Thanks for the advice, it doesn't seem as though I am doing anything wrong. I do scatter some compost around in the spring, maybe not enough though.

Are your 'Worcester Gold' still in pots? Is the soil dry? Soggy? Were the plants in the shade before you bought them and are now in sun?

Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy' gets about 4 feet tall here in a sunny, well-drained spot and typically begins flowering in September. It has never gotten any fertilizer beyond the slow-release organic fertilizer (i.e. alfalfa pellets) that I sometimes add to the whole perennial garden in spring.

May I add something here? I am in a zone 5 and I never trim anything that has silver foiliage until Spring. [ ie. lavender, artimesia, butterfly bush, etc. ] Caryopteris does have a silver leaf so I don't cut it back until Spring, either. It's recommended to cut it back hard at that time. By the way, it's an easy bush to propagate!

happy gardening!
GG

4' for Snow Fairy? Obviously I'm doing something terribly wrong. As for WG, one pot I planted just a few days ago, the other just today. Actually, the weather has cooled a bit today & they both look better than they have. Both the one in the pot & the one in the ground would wilt by mid day. When I got them, they had been in full sun. They were a bit wilted when I bought them, but you could tell they would perk up if they got some water. I'll trim these back in the spring. Snow Fairy may be getting overshadowed by some larger plants, I may try moving it tomorrow & see if it likes that better. I have read that it is easy to propagate, and if I can work out my problems I may be doing just that.
Thanks for your help!