How to Encourage More Blooms

Create more sun. Although many plants bloom in partial shade or even full shade, the best flowering plants need a lot of sun. If you can lower limbs from nearby trees or relocate plants to sunnier locations, you will get more flowers.

Choose plants wisely. Despite compelling advertising and breathtaking pictures, sometimes plants -- especially new hybrids -- do not live up to their claims. Do some research before selecting plants and focus on plants that claim to be long blooming or tried and true. In addition, make sure it is the right plant for your growing conditions.

Plant properly to give your plants the best possible start. Make sure to amend the soil with good quality topsoil and compost. Add super phosphate or bone meal to the planting hole to promote flowering. The amounts of amendments depend on what you are planting, so first check what each plant requires.

Water the plants as needed. Flowers consist primarily of water. If the plants dry out, you can easily lose flower buds.

Fertilize the plants as needed. For some plants, a side dressing of compost each spring is sufficient. For other plants, supplemental fertilizer applications are needed. Fertilizer contains three main components: nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. These elements are listed on the label as N-P-K, respectively. Phosphorous is the key component responsible for root and flower development, so make sure the phosphorous rating is as large or larger than the other components. Follow package directions when applying. Organic fertilizers generally take longer to work than synthetic fertilizers.

Remove spent flowers from plants as they complete their blooming cycles. Plants are genetically programmed to make seeds after flowering to propagate the species. If you remove the old flowers, the plant attempts to make new flowers to get another chance to generate seeds. Of course, not all plants have multiple blooming cycles, but this step is critical for those that do.

Prune plants to create more branching, which leads to more flowers. When you prune a branch or stem, multiple stems form from the point where it was cut. Where a single flower normally grows at the tip of a branch, multiple branches yield multiple blooms. The secret to accomplishing this step successfully is timing. For trees and shrubs, the desired affect may take two to three years. Time the pruning based on the particular plant to avoid losing flowers for the current season. For perennials and annuals, the effect occurs in the current growing season. You still need to know the flowering habit of each particular plant to accomplish this and maximize the flowering potential. Judicious pruning of perennials can lead to longer blooming cycles for the season.