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How to Grow Bacopa: The Complete Bacopa Flower Guide

Ornamental bacopa flowers - Latin name - Chaenostoma cordatum
Photo Credit
Nahhana/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Chaenostoma cordatum, aka Sutera cordata
Plant Type
Flower
Bloom Time
Spring
Summer
Flower Color
Blue
Purple
Red
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
9
10
11

Planting, Growing, and Caring for Bacopa

Carol Connare
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Let your garden overflow with bacopa (Chaenostoma cordatum)! This fast-growing annual boasts cascading stems covered in vibrant blooms from late spring to fall. Discover bacopa’s easy care needs, including sun and shade tolerance and watering tips. Learn how to grow stunning bacopa displays in containers, hanging baskets, or groundcover!

About Bacopa

Let it snow! The Chaenostoma cordatum, aka Sutera cordata, cultivar ‘Snowflake’ offers a blizzard of crisp, white, five-lobe flowers and evergreen foliage on lush, trailing stems. A South African native, what we know today as C. cordatum has been the subject of a number of genus reassignments and common name changes since the early part of the 19th century and has been known at one time or another as Sutera diffusus, Bacopa cordata (which is technically incorrect, inasmuch as Bacopa is the genus for water hyssop), and simply “bacopa.”

This fast-growing plant blooms abundantly from late spring to first fall frost in sun, with adequate water. Although best known for its white flowers, bacopa also has cultivars that produce flowers in blue, pink, and purple. Bacopa is also grown as a ground cover.

C. cordatum is a winter annual or perennial in Zones 9 to 11 and treated as an annual elsewhere.

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Planting

Bacopa can be propagated by cuttings, but gardeners are advised to purchase plants. 

The plant is not particular about pH or soil, but its medium must drain well. It can not tolerate standing water, which may lead to root rot. 

If you choose to plant bacopa in a container or hanging basket in potting mix amended with compost or organic matter.

Bakopa, Sutera diffusus, Bacopa diffusus blooms with small multicolored flowers.
Bacopa looks beautiful when grown in baskets.

Growing

Provide bacopa with full sun to partial shade, with consistent moisture, or give it morning sun and afternoon shade. Note that extreme heat may cause it to lose vigor.

Water generously and regularly; avoid complete dryness. Bloom and bud drop may be a sign of drought stress. If this occurs and is not severe, continue watering and allow about 2 weeks for blooms to return. 

Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer (10-10-10) every 1 to 2 weeks.

Bacopa is self-cleaning; no deadheading is necessary. Prune to remove dead stems under foliage, if necessary.

Varieties
  • Chaenostoma cordatum ‘Blue Showers’: lavender-blue flowers
  • C. cordatum MegaCopa series ‘Pink Shine’: large pink flowers
  • C. cordatum Snowstorm series ‘Giant Snowflake’: large (12- inch), white flowers; vigorous grower
  • C. cordatum Snowstorm series ‘Snow Globe’: large white flowers
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Pests/Diseases

Diseases: Botrytis blight, Phytophthora crown and root rot, powdery mildew, viruses. 

Pests: aphids, thrips, whiteflies

Wit and Wisdom

  • The Bacopa genus, commonly known as water hyssop, includes more than 70 aquatic plants that are typically found growing in moist areas such as marshes, bogs, and water gardens and along streams and rivers. Its members have white flowers and small, relatively thick, succulent evergreen leaves.
  • “Bacopa monnieri (often called brahmi) is a botanical frequently used in Ayurvedic medicine,” explains Eric A. Walker and Mark V. Pellegrini.
Flowers
About The Author

Carol Connare

As the 14th Editor-in-Chief of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Carol Connare works with writers and other editors to develop “new, useful, and entertaining matter” for the annual Almanac as well as books, calendars, and other publications. Read More from Carol Connare
 

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