Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Scopia Gulliver Purple Bacopa, Large-flowered Purple Bacopa (Sutera cordata 'Scopia Gulliver Purple').

More about bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple'

About Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple'

Sutera cordata 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' · also called Scopia Gulliver Purple Bacopa, Large-flowered Purple Bacopa · flowering

'Scopia Gulliver Purple' is a trailing Sutera grown for unusually large purple-violet five-petalled flowers held above small green leaves from spring until frost. Part of the large-flowered Scopia range, it makes a showy basket and container spiller, preferring sun to part shade, steady moisture and self-cleaning, deadheading-free bloom.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bud drop from drying out: Letting the compost dry makes the plant shed buds and stop flowering for a spell. Keep moisture consistent and never allow baskets to fully dry.

The reasons bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' and get the feeding right with the bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' flower?

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' bloom?

Give bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' normally bloom?