Plant Care Library

Other Names:  Mint Bacopa, Blue Water Hyssop, Lemon Hyssop

Description:

Widely used in aquariums and water features, this immersed or pondside plant will eventually grow in large mats, with dainty blue flowers year round; a great groundcover for wet pondside soils; leaves are aromatic when crushed

Ornamental Features

Lemon Bacopa features dainty fragrant blue cup-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from early spring to late fall. Its attractive fragrant round leaves emerge chartreuse in spring, turning dark green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Lemon Bacopa is an herbaceous annual with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Lemon Bacopa is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Water Gardens
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Lemon Bacopa will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by cuttings.

Lemon Bacopa is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.