The gorgeous, jewel-like bacopa blooms look lovely in gardens, baskets, and other containers. Although it only reaches a height of 4 to 8 inches, this robust trailing annual can cascade up to 4 feet long under the right circumstances. Blue, white, and lavender are among the hues of the bacopa flower. Bacopa can also be used as a rapid, eye-catching groundcover. Bacopa will wither away when temps drop below freezing, just like other annual flowers.
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Bacopa Growing Instructions
Bacopa should be planted in a sunny or partially sunny area that is shielded from drying winds. When summer temperatures soar, water this plant every day since it suffers in dry soil. Bacopa will cease blooming and take a week or two to produce a fresh crop of blooms if let to completely dry out. At intervals of seven to ten days, fertilize bacopa with a diluted solution of liquid fertilizer.
If you are growing bacopa in a moss or other hanging planter, fill a pail with water and soak the whole thing to hydrate the soil. The soil will be completely saturated and won’t dry out too quickly if you do it that way.
Add these variations to your Bacopa to complement it:
Begonia Wax begonia’s erect shape and vividly colored foliage complement trailing bacopa beautifully.
Varieties: Our Favorites
Abunda Giant White bacopa thrives in window boxes, hanging baskets, and container gardens because of its profusion of large, white flowers. It spreads or trails out to be 12 inches long and 8 inches tall.
Do bacopa plants trail?
Who doesn’t adore a planter full of vibrant, blooming plants? This is one of my favorite methods for adorning my outside areas, which I switch out seasonally for a brand-new look.
I enjoy using a trailing plant when planting annuals or perennials with flowers. Historically, most gardeners’ go-to plants were alyssum and lobelia, but there’s a new child on the block: bacopa (Sutera cordata).
Bacopa plants grow up to 36 inches tall, and in the summer and fall, they are covered in profusions of tiny, 5-petaled blooms.
Bacopa is planted as an annual in gardens in zones 8 and lower and as a perennial in zones 911. The 50–85 degree range is when flowering most usually happens.
Although it isn’t as aromatic as alyssum, bacopa is a fantastic substitute because it isn’t as messy and doesn’t require deadheading. It is also self-cleaning. Just let it spill over the side of your preferred container. You can’t go wrong whether you use a single bacopa or cover the entire container with this white-flowered beauty.
The brighter hues of the additional flowering plants you add to your pots stand out more when white-flowering plants are present. Additionally, as bacopa grows down the side of pots, its trailing habit provides texture.
Plant bacopa, which resembles baskets of baby’s breath, in hanging baskets for a unique look. Bacopa can also be used as a tiny groundcover, allowing it to extend out to a maximum of 12 inches, in addition to being used in containers. Use it generally the same way you would lobelia or alyssum.
Bacopa is a hardy plant that does well in direct sunlight, filtered sunlight, or moderate shade. It merely needs soil that is consistently moist. The amount of blossoming will be reduced if the soil dries up.
Bacopa comes in a number of colors, one of which is called “Snowstorm Blue” and is purple. Try “Olympic Gold” if you like flora with different colors. The flowers of the “Giant Snowflake” cultivar are bigger. Bacopa is now available at most nurseries alongside flowering annuals and is grown from seed or cuttings.
Have you yet to plant the containers? Make room for the bacopa’s stunning cascading splendor!
Want more suggestions for the best plants for containers? The Top 10 New Plants for 2014 may be seen here.
Bacopa—is it a Spiller?
The trailing, spreading growth habit of the sutera hybrid “Epic White” is magnificent. There are delicate white blossoms all over the plants. Bacopa’s little leaves and blossoms give the ideal amount of contrasting texture, making it a traditional “spiller” in combination containers. Excellent for hanging baskets, ground cover, and low edging as well.
Allowing it to dry out could cause flowering to stop or slow down for a few weeks. Even when dry, plants might not appear to be wilting, so check the soil frequently.
Does bacopa require pruning?
Full, partial, or shady sunlight? Bacopa can handle a range of light and needs some sunlight to grow. Plant bacopa with care in a location with morning light and afternoon shade, and you’ll see the plant grow swiftly and contentedly to fill out your garden. The bacopa is a perfect container, window box, or hanging basket plant due to its tolerance for partial light or partial shade.
Smaller containers might benefit from the simple yet dramatic addition of the trailing foliage and five-petal flowers. It quickly fills in any gaps in the container as it develops because of how quickly it spreads.
In its first season, a spread of 1 to 2 feet is typical. During the growing season, certain bacopa types can cover 3 to 4 feet of earth. If your bacopa in a container grows too long, simply cut it by 5 to 6 inches, and take out any dead branches on the underside of the plant. Make sure your bacopa receives plenty of water if you are planting it in a location with direct sunlight.
Watering bacopa
As soon as the soil starts to dry out, water bacopa plants that are being cultivated in pots, containers, or garden boxes often.
Please feel free to mulch the ground throughout the summer to conserve water and keep the soil cool.
Bacopa:
A charming trailer with tiny green leaves and a variety of small, delicate single flowers in white, mauve, pink, and blue hues. A fantastic mixer that works well next to basket and container edges.
Bacopa doesn’t fade and wither when it becomes heated; it continues to bloom throughout the entire season. thrives in both full sun and partial shade.
Callibrachoa:
The petunia family includes callibrachoa, often known as Million Bells. Throughout the summer, it blooms prolifically with tiny trumpet-shaped blossoms on fine stalks and narrow, light green leaves.
As a young plant, it needs to be handled gently because it can be rather brittle. Once developed, it has a strong ability to persist. Excellent color selection, from pastel to bold, to match any color scheme.
The terracotta hues go well with blues or sunset color schemes. Give them a try with light blue petunias.
Lobelia richardii:
Although lobelia grown from seeds may be a favorite for hanging baskets, once you’ve tried one of the varieties of Lobelia richadii, you won’t want to switch back.
Instead of being cultivated in clumps of seedlings, this lobelia was grown from cuttings. Fine, sturdy training stems with dark green leaves are produced by it.
The blossoms are abundant, azure blue, and never-ending. It persists and does not falter in the middle of the season. Forms in various colors are now available.
Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’
As the cascading foliage component for hanging baskets, we used to plant trailing nepeta. The issue is that it mildews, particularly if the potting soil becomes a little dry.
Dichondra is a wonderful plant with tiny, silvery leaves that resemble hearts. Early in the season, the long training stems have a significant impact because of how quickly they grow. An attractive leaf addition to any gardening arrangement.
Verbena:
The trailing verbenas do well in sunny environments. Their attractive fern-like leaves and rigid, trailing stems are extremely wind- and weather-resistant.
The flower clusters endure for a very long time and continue to bloom well into the fall. Excellent color palette, with some deep, dark reds and purples as well as vivid pinks: go understated or surreal.
Petuniatrailing:
There are several distinct varieties of training petunias, some of which are grown from seed and others from cuttings. If the early Petunia surfinia variants weren’t controlled, they grew straggly and disorderly throughout the growing season.
The doubles, many of which are Petunia tumberlina variants, are my favorites. These have a more compact habit and fragrant, long-lasting blooms.
The deep blues and mauves are stunning in a sunny location, although they do best in full sun and detest summer rain.
Begoniatrailing:
Begonias are the best choice for a basket that will be placed in a shaded area. Some can be produced from corms, but the variety of seasonal bedding plants is astounding.
The kinds known as “Million Kisses” and others that have semi-double, starry flowers are bright and have incredible floral power.
Fuchsiatrailing:
Both partial shade and direct sunlight are suitable for growing trailing fuchsias. They have a gorgeously elegant nature and bloom all through the summer and into the fall.
Place them so that you can truly enjoy the beauty of the hanging flowers. Even though they blend well with other topics, trailing fuchsias are best planted alone. The hanging basket of the soft pink “Heidi Anne” is hard to beat on its own.
Nasturtium: In hanging baskets, borders, vegetable plots, and pots, nasturtiums are currently highly fashionable. There are numerous types, including climbing and bushy.
For hanging baskets, stay away from the most active trailers. It’s important to keep an eye out for those with tiny, dark leaves and colorful blossoms.
PelargoniumIvy leaf:
Trailing stems that are very brittle and stiff, as well as ivy-shaped leaves with a waxy sheen and heads of single or double, persistent flowers throughout the summer.
These time-honored favorites continue to have tremendous personalities and presence. Pick your favorite color and pair it with lovely vegetation.
This is one of my favorite pairings: perfumed pelargonium leaves with lacy, rich crimson blossoms. Full sun is necessary.
Top tip:
To keep your hanging baskets in prime condition throughout the summer, continue to water, feed, and deadhead as necessary. For more blossoms, use a high-potash fertilizer like tomato feed.
What are plants that trail?
Long, trailing stems are characteristic of home plants. They look wonderful when grown indoors in hanging baskets, pots suspended from the ceiling, or shelves, where their branches can flow down dramatically. By cultivating trailing plants in this way, you may give your indoor plant displays more height and softness while also adding depth and interest.
A trailing verbena: what is it?
The common name “trailing verbena” refers to the perennial flowering plant Verbena canadensis, more recently identified as Glandularia canadensis. Green foliage and blue, red, pink, white, or purple flowers are produced by trailing verbena. Verbena flowers are well-liked as a decorative ground cover or as an addition to rock gardens and flower beds since they appear fast after the first year of planting and have an extraordinarily extended bloom season. However, these plants are also frequently cultivated in hanging baskets. Growers employ them because of their modest spreading behavior to fill landscape with profusion of blossoms. In general, trailing verbena plants thrive in USDA hardiness zones seven through eleven and are heat-tolerant.
What complements bacopa?
Nemesia, angelonia, low-growing carex or fescue, lamb’s ears, coleus, million bells, diascia, and sweet potato vine are all good combinations for bacopa. to mention a few. Bacopa grows quickly and blooms for a long time, making it perfect for pots.
What is the lifespan of bacopa plants?
One of the simplest and most adaptable low-growing plants, bacopa has starry white blossoms that can pour over the lip of a planter or crawl as a ground cover along the edge of a flower bed.
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Bacopa: A Field Guide
One of the simplest and most adaptable plants is Sutera cordata, which may be grown in warm climates as a perennial ground cover or with its lovely tiny flowers pouring over the side of a planter.
The native of South Africa can spread two to four feet wide and reach heights of two to eight inches, depending on the variation. Bacopa flowers all year long where winters are warm, producing tiny white, lavender, or pink blooms from spring till frost.
Does bacopa require deadheading?
Bacopa is an adaptable plant that works well as a trailer in window boxes, hanging baskets, and shady spots as well as a robust groundcover. When the weather gets warmer, these plants expand quickly and cover themselves in buds and blossoms. They bury their dead, so there is no need to deadhead old spent blooms, which is one big benefit of the quick growth. Feed the bacopa frequently to keep up with its explosive development. Your bacopa plant is beginning to feel hungry when the foliage starts to turn yellow and the bloom growth slows down. These plants can need a few weeks to get going again, but once they do, you won’t even realize that they took a hiatus.