Last updated on March 23rd, 2022
Our site is reader supported, this means we may earn a small commission from Amazon and other affiliates when you buy through links on our site.
The peace lily is a popular indoor plant that has dark green leaves complemented by stunning white flowers that produce a lovely aroma. As a perennial, this tropical-looking plant will produce flowers time and time again and survive for years. But what if you aren’t getting any flowers? What if all you have are green leaves?
There are a few reasons for this and it’s usually because it’s not got the right growing conditions. Often not enough light, because even though they will grow in shade they won’t flower in shade.
Peace Lillies also need to be mature before they will flower naturally. They are usually forced to flower in certain conditions by using a natural plant hormone to stimulate the plant into production early. Once they finish flowering they then usually won’t flower naturally until they are more mature.
How long should Peace Lillies flower for?
With the Peace Lily, the flowers usually last for about 6 weeks, after which they fade and die. But if you have a new Peace Lily and it is not flowering at all, don’t worry. Peace Lillies don’t flower until they are mature. So if you have a younger and immature plant, just give it time.
Choose the right location, bright but filtered light in a warm room
If you have a mature plant that is otherwise healthy and it is still not flowering, it could be a reflection on where your plant is located in your home or office. The Peace Lily is a popular houseplant because it can tolerate almost any condition, including shade. Grown inside you can almost literally throw it in a cupboard in the dark and it will still grow well, purify your air, and add some texture to your environment.
They won’t flower in a shady spot
The problem is, in dark areas without any sunlight they won’t produce flowers. The plant itself will grow just fine and you can enjoy the green leaves all year round but you won’t get the white blooms. To rectify this you can move the plants somewhere it gets ample, indirect sunlight.
You don’t want to put it right in front of a window that gets the hot afternoon sun on a regular basis because this will burn the leaves. Placing it in a room on the shelf or a desk where it gets indirect sun is best. If the leaves start to turn yellow its a sign it’s getting to much light.
Place Peace Lillies in a warm room to encourage flowering
Similarly, as a tropical plant, it prefers warmer growing conditions between 18°C and 30°C. If you place it in a room that’s cold with a draft, the plant will be fine but the flowers won’t be. The warmer the conditions, the more likely you are to get flowers. So if you have it in a cold part of the house or the office, you might be able to move it to a warmer area to encourage blooms.
When do Peace Lillies flower?
They usually flower in the spring or the beginning of summer. If you buy your Peace Lily from a garden centre, it will almost always come in flower, or a spathe as they are technically known. Out of the foliage will rise a stalk on top of which is a rounded white spathe that encloses the centre component.
Most people think that the larger white part is the flower but it’s not. The centre component is where the flowers are, which are actually very tiny and otherwise insignificant. You probably have one of these on your plant already but if you want to encourage more you can add a hormone that naturally occurs in the plant. This is what most gardeners do to encourage flowers more frequently.
Gibberellic acid is a natural plant hormone that stimulates the growth of flowers. Apply this to a mature plant, one that is over one year old, and old enough to start flowering naturally. And of course, make sure that all of the other conditions are met such that the plant has good soil, isn’t overwatered, and has the right amount of light exposure. You can also encourage blooms by giving it a balance indoor plant fertiliser every two or three months.
Now you know some of the common reasons why a Peace Lily doesn’t flower, if you have the opportunity you can move yours to a different place in your home or office so that you can enjoy the beautiful white flowers and of course the rich scent that accompanies them.
Image credits – Shutterstock.com
