Bacopa

Bacopa: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Creeping to trailing plant 5–10 cm tall, with stems up to 50 cm long.

Leaves

Small, round to heart-shaped, 1–2 cm, with a scalloped edge; fresh green and opposite.

Flower

Five-lobed flowers about 1 cm across in the leaf axils, from May to October.

Colour

White, lilac, pink or blue, often with a small yellow centre.

Roots

Fine and shallow: the plant dries out quickly.

Flowering: May–October · Plants: May–June · Pruning: July–August

Why grow it?

• A long flowering season, from May into October.
• Trails beautifully over the edge of a container or hanging basket.
• Also flowers in partial shade, where many summer bedding plants disappoint.
• Goes with almost every colour; white is the classic.
• The faded flowers drop off by themselves.

Bacopa: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in fierce midday sun it dries out quickly.
• Humus-rich potting compost or loose sandy or loamy soil, acid to neutral.
• Moderately moist to moist: never let the soil dry out.
• Sheltered from strong wind, which dries out the trailing stems.
• A 30 cm hanging basket takes 3–4 plants; in a container, plant every 20–25 cm.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: plant out after the last frost (mid-May)

Goes well with

• Pelargonium: Red or pink flowers above a white cascade of bacopa.
• Petunia: Large, colourful flowers next to the fine, trailing stems.
• Fuchsia: An elegant combination for a container in partial shade.
• Lobelia: Blue beside white, with the same liking for moist compost.
• Verbena: Colourful flower clusters in the same sunny hanging basket.

Bacopa: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Plant in May–June, after the last frost. Buy young plants, as bacopa is mainly propagated from cuttings.
2. Choose a pot or hanging basket with a drainage hole and fill it with good potting compost, perhaps with a little garden compost added.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot, 20–25 cm apart, at the edge of the container so the stems can trail.
4. Water in thoroughly, until water runs out of the bottom of the pot.
5. A saucer or a self-watering pot helps to prevent drying out.

Care

Water

Keep the compost lightly moist at all times and check daily in summer. Drying out costs weeks of flowers.

Feeding

From June to September, a liquid feed for flowering plants in the watering can every week.

Deadheading

Not needed: the faded flowers drop off by themselves.

Cutting back

In July–August, shorten stems that are too long or bare by a third.

Water quality

Use rainwater where possible; hard tap water can cause yellow leaves.

Tip: Grow bacopa in a pot with a saucer or water reservoir and water every day in warm weather: as long as the compost stays moist, it flowers without a break.

Bacopa: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August.

When: Pruning is not needed, but in July–August you can shorten stems that have become too long or bare.

How:

• Cut long stems back by a third, just above a pair of leaves.
• Remove completely any stems that have withered after a dry spell.
• After cutting back, water and give liquid feed; two to three weeks later it will be in full flower again.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In August, take tip cuttings 5–8 cm long, remove the lower leaves and root them in moist cutting compost under plastic at 18–20 °C. Overwinter the young plants indoors.

Layering

Stems lying on moist soil sometimes root by themselves. Cut them free and pot them up.

Bacopa: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 0 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it dies in frost.
• It can be overwintered indoors in a bright, cool spot at 5–10 °C with little water; cut the plant back in spring.
• Usually it is easier to buy new plants every spring or to overwinter your own cuttings.

Diseases and pests

• Flowering stops: After drying out, flowering stops for weeks. Keep the soil moist at all times, cut back and feed.
• Yellow leaves: Leaves turn yellow with green veins, often due to hard water or lack of nutrients. Water with rainwater and feed.
• Whitefly: Small white flies under the leaves. Hang up yellow sticky traps and rinse the plant.
• Aphids: Aphids on the young tips. Spray off with water.
• Grey mould: In cold, wet weather the centre of the plant rots. Thin out, remove rotten leaves and water less in cool weather.

Through the year

• May: After the last frost, plant in containers and hanging baskets.
• June: Plant. Feed weekly and never let it dry out.
• July: Full flower. Shorten stems that are too long.
• August: Flowering. Take cuttings to overwinter.
• September: Flowering. Keep watering and feeding.
• October: Last flowers. Bring plants indoors or clear them before the frost.
• November: Keep overwintered plants cool and bright, with little water.

Did you know?

• The name bacopa is actually a mistake: the true genus Bacopa consists of quite different plants, often growing in or near water.
• Botanists have renamed the plant more than once: from Sutera cordata to Chaenostoma cordatum.
• Most varieties on sale are propagated from cuttings, which is why seed is rarely available.