Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
2 ratings

Monday - July 01, 2013

From: Scottsdale, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Soils, Shrubs
Title: Non-flowering plants in Scottsdale AZ
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have three plants that are supposed to do well in Arizona but mine are not flowering. The yellow bells and orange jubilee I have get full sun, drip watered 3 x a week for 1 1/2 hrs (at 4am) and are not flowering. The orange jubilees were just planted this spring and flowered well, now they are not at all. The yellow bells have been established for 2 years and no flowers (lots of foliage). My bougainvillea is also not flowering. It is in full sun but not watered at all. It is producing green leaves but no flowers this summer. It is end of June at 115 degrees. Is it too hot?? I stopped watering the bougainvillea because it got rather large with foliage (no flowers).

ANSWER:

Okay, let's get organized. You have three plants that are not blooming, so we will look at them one by one and see if there is a common denominator.

1. Yellow bells - in our Native Plant Database this is listed as Tecoma stans (Yellow bells)  which is native to Arizona but not to Maricopa County, according to this USDA Plant Profile. It is in the Bignoniaceae or trumpet creeper family, and this is ordinarily able to start blooming fairly early in its life cycle.

"Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Well drained, rocky, limestone, sand, and loam soils
Conditions Comments:  Yellow bells is drought tolerant and Southwestern varieties are adapted to monsoon rains with dry spells between. They may flower better if such conditions are emulated in planned landscapes, so allow ground to dry out between waterings."

2. Orange Jubilee - Tecoma alata, article from Arizona State University. This is native to Peru, but apparently does okay in North America. Needs full sun.

3. Bougainvillea - Native to Brazil. Article from Aggie Agriculture on Bougainvillea. "If your bougainvillea is not blooming, it probably is not receiving enough sun or fertilizer. These plants thrive in the tropics in areas of low rainfall and intense sun and heat."

So we have two plants in the same genus (Tecoma), one native and one not, so we don't know what effect the soils have on the blooming of the plant. Bougainvillea is also not native to North America.

About the best we can do is refer you to the links we have given on the three plants, and then give you what are more or less our generic rules on plants that are not blooming. First, you will note that all three need full sun, which we consider to be 6 hours or more of sun a day. Second, Tecoma stans (Yellow bells), at least, does not need all that water you seem to be giving it. If it is not getting very good drainage in the soil, so the soil can dry out between waterings, the roots may be drowning. Cut back on the water. Third, a very frequent reason for non-blooming is that they are getting too much fertilizer, especially the high nitrogen fertilizers meant for lawns. Nitrogen encourages a lot of green leaves, which is what you want on lawn but not on flowering bushes. The last thing is the sun and heat, which all three plants seem to thrive on.

Conclusion: There is something about the culture of the plants themselves, food, water, sun or soil that is probably inhibiting the flowering. Try to figure out what you have changed that might be causing it. Since we recommend only native plants, we feel that the fact that none of the plants are native to where you are growing them could mean there is some incompatibility with the soil.

 

From the Image Gallery


Yellow bells
Tecoma stans

Yellow bells
Tecoma stans

Yellow bells
Tecoma stans

More Soils Questions

Effects of patio under large tree
July 17, 2008 - I would like to put in a patio under a fairly large tree. I understand a tree needs some open ground around it for air and water. Can I use flagstone leaving 6-10 inches of space between the stones?...
view the full question and answer

Growing Osage Orange in Caliche in Austin
October 23, 2015 - Does Osage Orange tree grow in caliche? Do nurseries carry it?
view the full question and answer

Replacing a Grass Lawn with Moss
January 02, 2010 - I have a small north facing yard that I would like to change from grass to moss. There is some moss now but still lots of grass. I need to rake a lot of leaves in the fall but want to get away from a ...
view the full question and answer

Ornamental grasses under desert willows from Dallas, TX
September 06, 2013 - I am planning on planting 3 desert willows in full sun, below the power lines at the back of my back yard in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. I would like to plant some ornamental grasses in the be...
view the full question and answer

Need fast growing deciduous trees for Austin, TX
February 14, 2015 - We'd like to plant several fast growing deciduous trees in a full sun yard with a hard alkaline soil in the western edge of Travis Heights in South Austin. I've noted several locations in our neighb...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.