Rosemary Tips to Encourage Flower Blooms

 

I have a four year old  rosemary plant that is thriving but its not blooming.  I would really like it to bloom this year. A friend of mine has a “green thumb” and everything that she plants thrives and blooms so I decided to ask her why my rosemary wasn't flowering.  Here are a few of her tips to encourage flowering.

Rosemary - Wikipedia

Sunlight is a factor.  Rosemary loves full sun and needs at least six to 8 hours of sunlight daily.  The hotter and the dryer the better.  My rosemary is grown in a container and was on the patio where it was partial shade in the afternoon so I moved it to an area where I knew there would be ample sunlight.

The only time I cut my rosemary is when I need a sprig for cooking.  I usually take a new stem from the bottom leaving the top and sides full.   Pruning too much in the spring is a good way to remove flower buds before they bloom.

Rosemary thrives in light soil that drains well.  Heavy soil that is non draining  will prevent flowering.

Fertilizing I use Spray n Grow in the spring  but other than that all I do is water my rosemary when soil is dry.  I grow rosemary in a container and the soil dries out quicker than in the ground so I water my rosemary once a day or when the soil is dry to the touch. 

My rosemary plant grown in a container 

Rosemary is not a fan of fertilization as too much nitrogen will encourage a leafy bushy growth but limits flower production.

The age of the rosemary matters.  Rosemary needs at least five years to bloom.  So my plant needs more time and more sun. 

Flower Blooming Tips for Clematis

  

For many years growing clematis was trial and error then a few years ago all of my efforts were awarded because I had glorious blooms. 

I had planted clematis from seeds and then learned that it would be many years before the clematis would bloom.  I did not want to wait years for a flower so I bought a nursery-grown clematis that was two years old and I planted it in my yard where it would get six hours of direct morning sun with part shade to shade in the heat of the day, followed by sun at dusk.

 

The soil had a slight alkaline PH and I set up a soaking hose that would provide a slow drip throughout the day.  Which kept the well-drained soil moist but not wet during our extremely hot summer months.  

My clematis was healthy it was climbing the trellis and the leaves were green and thriving but I had no flowers.  My neighbor told me that the top of the plant needs sun but the roots need to be kept cool and should be shaded.  I applied a thick layer of organic mulch in May and fertilized.

 

Clematis was fed every two weeks during blooming season (May – July) with Miracle-Gro water-soluble bloom booster for flowers. This flower fertilizer is water-based and can be used on all flowers, annuals, and perennials during the growing season.