Chaenostoma cordatum
Snowflake Bush
Common names: Bacopa, Snowflake Flower, Sutera
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 3 l
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Flowering
- May–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 2 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Stickpen · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The snowflake flower, botanically Chaenostoma cordatum, originates from South Africa and is sold in the trade also as Bacopa or snowflake flower, often still under the former genus name Sutera. It forms a dense, strongly branched mound 15 to 20 cm tall, from which the shoots fall over the edge, reaching 30 to 60 cm in length. The leaves are small, fresh green and toothed along the margin. The flowers measure about 1 cm, have five petals and are mostly white like snowflakes, though pink, light blue and lilac varieties also exist. It flowers from May to October with almost no pause. In the garden it is planted in hanging baskets, boxes and containers on balconies and terraces, where it serves as a soft frame between stronger bloomers. It prefers consistently moist soil and is not frost hardy in this region.
Care instructions
Plant the snowflake flower after the Ice Saints, from mid-May, around calendar week 20, in a bright spot in full sun or light partial shade. It prefers consistent moisture: water regularly, and on hot days water both morning and evening, because if the root ball dries out, the shoots wilt quickly and recover poorly. It does not tolerate waterlogging, so pots and boxes need drainage holes. From June, fertilize about every two weeks. Deadheading is rarely needed; an occasional cut back by about a third keeps the plant dense if it looks sparse after the first flush of flowers. It pairs well with petunias, Bidens (golden Marie) or fan flowers.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringMay–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich
The snowflake flower grows in loose, humus-rich and nutrient-rich soil that holds moisture but releases excess water immediately, for example balcony compost with some sand or expanded clay. The pH should be slightly acidic to neutral. If the soil is too dense, the roots rot; if it is too free-draining, it dries out too quickly. Drainage holes in the pot are important, because wet feet and permanently dry soil harm it equally.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Jun–Sep
The snowflake flower blooms for months and needs regular feeding for that. When planting, mix some mature compost into the soil. From June, give liquid fertiliser for flowering plants in the water about every two weeks. In small pots or in lots of rain, when nutrients are washed out quickly, it can be a little more often. From the end of September, stop feeding.
Overwintering
Botanically the snowflake flower is perennial, but it is not hardy in Central Europe. If you want to keep it, bring it indoors before the first frost, shorten the shoots by about half and keep it bright at 8 to 12 °C. Water sparingly, but never let the root ball dry out completely. After the Ice Saints in mid-May it can go outdoors again. Cuttings, which you take in late summer, save space.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
You propagate snowflake flowers by cuttings. In August or September, cut shoot tips 5 to 8 cm long without flowers, remove the lower leaves and insert them into moist, lean seed compost. In a bright, warm place under a clear cover they root in about three weeks; ventilate briefly every day. Overwinter the young plants bright and cool, and from mid-May they go outdoors. Seed is hardly available; most varieties are cutting-raised varieties that you buy as young plants in spring.
For your garden
Grow Snowflake Bush yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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