Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Tecoma stans (Yellow bells) is basically a desert plant. If you follow the plant link to our web page on this plant, you will learn that it is native to New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. This USDA Plant Profile Map shows that it also grows in Florida, in the southern tip of Florida and also Brevard County but not Flagler Co. Because Florida has such wonderful growing conditions, many plants are introduced there, and the Florida conditiions might not be ideal for them. As we said, they are desert plants and require extremely good drainage; water sitting on their roots can cause root rot. Also, most native plants do not need fertilizer and the Yellow Bells  particularly dislikes it. If, in the process of trying to get it to bloom, you have fertilized it, possibly with a high nitrogen fertilizer, that could be the problem. High nitrogen fertilizers are intended for lawn grasses, as they inspire leaf production and not blooms. If all the energy of the plant is going into leaves, it doesn't have the resources for blooming. If you planted the shrub, and put in decomposed granite or compost in order to improve the drainage, then that takes care of that problem. If you did not plant it for good drainage, or it was already on your property, then we suspect that is the problem.

Was this the plant's first full season in the ground? It ordinarily blooms from April to November, but if it is a young plant it may not have matured sufficiently to bloom any more. It takes a great deal of energy for a plant to bloom, and if something is going on that is not favorable, the plant may be coping with that and not have the energy to bloom.

So, we would recommend, first of all, patience. Second, if you don't believe the plant has been properly planted for drainage, try to work a little compost into the soil around the roots, and cover the roots with more compost. As that compost decomposes, it will amend the soil and improve the drainage. Don't water too much, remember, desert plant, and no fertilizer.

One last thing, if Yellow Bells is not growing well in Flagler County, it could be a soil problem. From our webpage on this plant:

"Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
 Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Well drained, rocky, limestone, sand, and loam soils
Conditions Comments:  Varieties sold in nurseries may be from tropical stock and not do so well in US cold. 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. "

"Native Habitat: High elevations, hillsides, slopes, canyons"