Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' (Scopia Gulliver Purple Bacopa) care

Light

Bright but filtered. Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' burns within days in unfiltered south-facing summer sun, and stops growing within months in deep shade. Full sun to part shade; bright light with afternoon shade in hot regions maximises the large blooms. Heavy shade thins flowering, while hot sun combined with dry roots causes flower drop and a bloom pause. If you only have a south window, set the plant back 1.5 m or hang a sheer curtain — both knock the intensity down into the right range.

Watering

Watering bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple': when the top 1-2 cm of compost starts to dry, often daily in warm weather. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Like all bacopa it must not dry out, or it drops buds and stalls. Keep compost evenly moist but not waterlogged; sun-baked baskets can need watering once or twice a day at peak summer.

Soil and pot

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' grows best in moisture-retentive yet free-draining potting compost. Quality peat-free multipurpose compost with some water-holding capacity keeps roots evenly damp. Add perlite or grit so it drains while staying moist, avoiding the stagnation that rots roots. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' sits happiest at around 40-60% humidity and 10-26°C (50-79°F). Untroubled by ordinary outdoor humidity; root moisture matters far more than air moisture. Adequate airflow through the trailing canopy limits fungal issues in damp weather. If you keep the room above 10 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' sparingly. Feed every 1-2 weeks with a balanced liquid feed, shifting to high-potash through summer to fuel the large flowers. Yellowing leaves indicate hunger or iron shortage; steady feeding sustains the big-bloom display. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• 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.
• Iron-deficiency or hunger chlorosis — Yellowing leaves with green veins point to iron shortage in alkaline or exhausted compost. Apply chelated iron and feed regularly to restore green growth.
• Root rot in stagnant compost — Waterlogging with poor drainage rots the root system. Use a free-draining mix and ensure pots drain even under frequent summer watering.
• Whitefly and aphids — Soft trailing growth attracts whitefly and aphids in warm conditions. Use insecticidal soap, water jets or sticky traps and check undersides of leaves.

Propagation

Propagated from softwood tip cuttings in spring or summer, rooting readily in moist compost to keep this named Scopia selection true. Sold as cutting-raised plug plants rather than from seed. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' is pet-safe. Garden bacopa (Sutera cordata) is not listed on the ASPCA toxic plant database and has no recognised toxic principle; it is generally considered non-toxic to cats and dogs. It is distinct from medicinal aquatic Bacopa monnieri. Treated as pet-safe, though eating large amounts of any plant may cause mild digestive upset. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' watering schedule
• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' light requirements
• Best soil mix for bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple'
• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' fertilizing guide
• When to repot bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple'
• How to propagate bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple'
• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' growth rate & size
• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' cold hardiness
• Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' temperature & humidity
• Is bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' toxic to cats?
• Is bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' toxic to dogs?
• Getting bacopa 'scopia gulliver purple' to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' qualifies for 11 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Best pet-safe trailing & hanging plants — Trailing and climbing plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe for shelves and hanging pots in a pet home.
• Best pet-safe flowering plants — Flowering houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — colour and blooms in a pet home, without the worry.
• Best pet-safe plants for bright light — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in a bright, sunny spot — safe plants for your best-lit windowsill.
• Best houseplants for a cool room — Houseplants that tolerate cool conditions down to about 10°C — for an unheated spare room, hallway, porch or a home kept cool.
• Best fast-growing houseplants — Houseplants documented as fast or vigorous growers — quick to fill a pot, cover a pole or trail down a shelf.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Bacopa 'Scopia Gulliver Purple' is also commonly called Scopia Gulliver Purple Bacopa or Large-flowered Purple Bacopa.

• Peace lily care — light, water and common problems
• Bird of paradise care — light, water and common problems
• Hoya care — light, water and common problems
• All 5561 plant care guides in the Growli library