The Sweetly, Spicy Scented Flowers Of The String Of Pearls Plant

A String of Pearls is a lovely, fascinating succulent, but did you know it blooms? I’m sharing my thoughts on String Of Pearls flowers and what makes them bloom.

String Of Pearls had me at hello. The 1st time I saw one I thought “what is this captivating succulent with the pearl-shaped leaves that must come home with me now?”. But wait, there’s more to love. In case yours has never bloomed, let me introduce you to the flowers of the String Of Pearls plant.

When I bought my 1st String Of Pearls plant years ago, I had no idea that it flowered. I was growing it indoors and didn’t get a bloom on it for 4 years. Once I started growing multiple plants outdoors in my Santa Barbara garden, that’s when I found out they really can put on quite a show.

Related: Answering Your Questions About Growing String Of Pearls

String Of Pearls Plant Flowers

A very big draw to the flowers growing off curved stems is their fragrance. To me, they smell like a cross between carnations, cloves, and cinnamon. I now live in the desert in Tucson. On warm days back in January, the scent was enticing.

One of my String Of Pearls plant really put on a big show of flowers this year but it didn’t bloom at all last year. This flowering period lasted for about 2 months. Although my plants in Santa Barbara would flower, the blooms weren’t as profuse as here this winter.

long string of pearls stems with white flowers

Those puffy flowers are oh so aromatic.

What did I do to get mine to flower so abundantly you ask?  Nothing. I think this succulent just blooms when it wants to. My succulents are fed with worm compost and compost early every spring; I use Tank’s local compost. Give Dr. Earth’s a try if you can’t find anywhere you live.

Worm compost is my favorite amendment, which I use sparingly because it’s rich.  I’m currently using Worm Gold Plus. Both enrich the soil naturally and slowly so the roots are healthy and the plants grow stronger.

I give most of my houseplants a light application of worm compost with a light layer of compost over that every spring. Easy does it – 1/4 to 1/2? layer of each for a larger sized houseplant. Read about my worm compost/compost feeding right here.

Don’t feed your String Of Pearls a bloom booster fertilizer in hopes of getting it to flower. Succulents don’t need or want it.

close up of a long string of pearls plant stem with white flowers & buds

The flowers appeared all the way up & down to the very end of the long, trailing stems.

Like most succulents, String Of Pearls flower in winter or spring. I believe it’s because they need a cool period to set the blooms.  The Torch Aloes in Santa Barbara would put a huge show with their large, vibrant orange blooms on tall stems at the very of fall into winter. The cacti are starting to bloom here in the desert at the very beginning of March.

My String Of Bananas which shares real estate in the same pot with the String Of Pearls and a String Of Hearts flowered this winter but the blooms were much sparser. Because I planted this succulent from short cuttings brought from my Santa Barbara garden, I imagine there will be many more flowers on it next year. And, it’s already trailing longer than the String Of Pearls which was planted from a 6″ pot. I think a String Of Bananas care post will be coming up soon!

white string of pearls flowers & buds growing on long stems

Each individual fiber-optic looking bloom lasted at least a few days. I pinched off the spent flowers & their stems once a week because it looked better.

Related: Tips For Growing A String Of Pearls Outdoors, 10 Reasons You May Be Having Problems Growing String Of Pearls Indoors, Repotting String Of Pearls: The Soil Mix To Use & The Steps To Take

Inside I’m thinking a String Of Pearls would need very bright light during the day and darkness at night (so not in a family room or kitchen), to be kept on the drier side and have cool evenings to set the blooms. Has yours ever flowered profusely as a houseplant? What conditions was it in and when did it begin blooming?

Happy gardening,

Signed by Nell Foster

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:

Tips For Growing a String Of Pearls Outdoors

Propagating A String Of Pearls Plant

How to Transplant Succulents into Pots

Aloe Vera 101: A Round Up of Aloe Vera Plant Care Guides

How Often Should You Water Succulents?

This post may contain affiliate links, you can read our policies here.

Similar Posts

5 Comments

  1. My string of pearls is blooming now and its the first time I have had this plant. Bought at Lowes in the early Fall in a 4 inch plastic pot. Its in a small hobby greenhouse that gets direct sun and bright light most of the day. At night It gets chilled to whatever the temperature in the Fall is in Northern Delaware. I have heaters on now so when outside night temps go below freezing (last night was 18 degrees), my greenhouse goes down to 50. The plants seem to love it. I have lots of jades, succulents, and orchids. My real tropical plants remain in my sunroom. BTW I had no idea the string of pearls was going to bloom until I smelled this sweet delicious aroma when I went inside the greenhouse this morning, also I am stingy with watering and allow just about everything in the greenhouse to get bone dry before watering again.

  2. Hi Jeff – My String Of Pearls grows outdoors year round here in Tucson. It has always flowered except for this winter – no blooms. My String of Bananas, on the other has, has bloomed like crazy. I love the scent of the SOPs! Nell

  3. I got my string of pearls as a birthday gift on March 5th! It’s the 31st today, and it’s already got a bunch of blooms! It’s not very big at all. It’s in a 5 inch diameter pot! I love it.

Comments are closed.