plumbago not blooming

19 years ago

I bought a couple of plumbagos about a month and a half ago. Not sure of where to put them yet, I put them in pots with a good bit of mulch and they are watered daily. About two weeks after I potted them, the blooms fell off and hasn't bloomed since.

Am I doing something wrong? I read somewhere about putting a tablespoon of milk in a gallon of water or something like that, to promote blooms...does this work?! I am willing b/c I love the blooms on it...that's why I bought it!

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HU-825725053

6 years ago

I had the same issue. I got some plumbagos from the nursery because they were full of blooms. Then as soon as I got them home and in the ground, the blooms died and fell off and refused to come back. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I realized that the plants surrounding them in my flower beds were stealing the water/nutrients.

I started drowning that whole area in water, just a couple times a week, to make sure they were all getting the required amounts. As soon as I did that, they had full blooms all over the plant by the next week. I also added a little plant food and some home made fertilizer to restore some of the missing organic decaying matter to the soil. Ever since then, they’ve been blooming hard, and frequently. Plumbagos can survive pretty easily with little care, but in order to bloom, you really have to stay on top of the maintenance.

I make home made fertilizer by dumping my lawn clippings into five gallon buckets with lids, and water filled almost to the top. I also add compostable items to the buckets and let them sit for a month or two. The best things to throw in there are used coffee grounds, egg shells (rinsed off first), old vegetables that have gone bad, banana and orange peels, and the skins and ends of vegetables that you‘ve removed. To aid in a faster break-down of these organic items, I put them in the blender first before putting them into the buckets.

The advantage of making fertilizer like this is that you can’t accidentally burn the grass, and it’s already sitting in water so you just dump it onto your plants. Grass love this fertilizer as well - good luck, guys!

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Comments (15)

pricklypearsatx
19 years ago
Believe it or not, I think it is the cool weather.

They aren't blooming in San Antonio. They usually start blooming in late March or April and I just haven't noticed established plants blooming yet.

I have a large clump that are over 10 years old. They have only put on one little bloom. Last year, they were covered with blooms in early April.
pjtexgirl
19 years ago
Everything seems to be slow to bloom this year! PJ
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carrie751
19 years ago
Mine have just started blooming. Usually, they have been blooming for at least 6 weeks by now.
lindseyrose
19 years ago
Do they need to be deadheaded or trimmed in any way? I have a tallish one that I bought a couple months ago. It was blooming when I bought it and since then it did have a nice flush of blooms, but those all died and there are just the dead little flowers on it.
annieinaustin
19 years ago
I don't think it will matter, Lindsey - mine are all just pouting, too... they're not going to put on a show until we humans feel miserable. The impatiens get happy once the night are hot, too.

Annie
runjbells
19 years ago
I am so glad to hear ya'll say that. I was wondering what was wrong with my garden this year as everything has been slow to bloom thus far.
jolanaweb
19 years ago
I have one bloom on each of 3 plants today, lol
treelover
19 years ago
Mine are not only not blooming, I don't think they've grown as large as they were at this time last year.

A (supposedly) white one that I planted a couple of years ago looks pathetic--just a couple of little branches. A blue one that I kept in a pot for a year, then put in the ground more than a year ago also looks skimpy.
momofjandj
Original Author
19 years ago
At least I'm not the only one with no blooms yet...lol
I don't feel so inept now!
My neighbor has some in her front yard bed and they have blooms all over them!! I guess I'll keep waiting...
pricklypearsatx
19 years ago
LindseyRose, The plumbagos in our neighborhood are blooming. However, plumbagos are funny and can sometimes be slow to establish.

I planted them at various places in my yard last year. In some spots, they took off. Others were slow.

In a nutshell, it is not unusual for them to follow the rule regarding perennials:

The first year they sleep.
The second they creep.
The third they leap.

Your's might start blooming real soon.

The most important thing for plumbagos in the first year, is healthy foliage growth. If they get going with that, then the blooms will eventually follow.
cseim
19 years ago
I'm not entirely sure, but I would recommend not deadheading them. I was strongly considering that until I noticed that mine are developing fresh flower buds smack dab in the middle of all of the dead ones. So maybe it's best to leave them on.

One question: does color matter? I have one blue one that looks fantastic, one blue one that is pretty good, and a white one that hasn't flowered much at all. They all get the same amount of sun and everything. All of them were just planted this spring though, so maybe it has to do with getting established more than anything...

Chrissy
pricklypearsatx
19 years ago
Chrissy,

I've heard that the whites aren't as vigorous as the blue.

So, if you are thinking of adding more or whatever....

Hope this helps.....

(I love plumbagos.. and I've learned a bit about them the hard way.)
dirtmecnanic
19 years ago
I didn't think they were supposed to bloom until late June or July, but the ones I planted in the fall are quite handsome right now. I'm pleased. Can't wait to see them in a couple of years.

I understand that they need some sunlight to bloom really well.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
6 years ago
Thank you HU-53 for detailing your experience in getting plumbagos to bloom. We are fortunate in being able to grow a plant with such beautiful blue flowers.