Don’t let the name fool you—the Bacopa (also known as the Snowflake Flower) is anything but winter-hardy! Despite its snowy name, this white-blooming beauty actually hails from South Africa, which means it isn’t built for the chill. If you want to keep yours coming back year after year, you’ll need to give it a little TLC when the temperatures drop. Here’s everything you need to know about overwintering your Bacopa.
The Bacopa is a total “cold-phobe”
Even though its name sounds like it belongs in a winter wonderland, the Snowflake Flower is incredibly sensitive to the cold. And I’m not just talking about freezing temperatures—even when the thermometer dips into the low 40s (single digits Celsius), your plant can start to suffer.
Watch out for those late-season frosts
Fall and spring are the “danger zones” because temperatures can plummet unexpectedly overnight. Keep a close eye on your local weather app. Don’t commit to leaving your Bacopa outside until the nights are consistently warm. If you’re itching to get started in early spring, play it safe: bring your pots inside at night and set them back out in the sun during the day.
How to overwinter your Bacopa like a pro
If you want to treat your Snowflake Flower as a perennial rather than an annual, you’ve got to find it the perfect winter home. Your “winter quarters” should meet two main criteria:
- It needs to be bright and dry.
- The temperature should stay cool, ideally between 40°F and 50°F (5 to 10°C).
Bright, dry basements, garages with windows, or unheated sunrooms are usually your best bet. If you don’t have a spot like that, a cool, rarely-used room inside your house can work in a pinch.
Can you leave it on the balcony?
Trying to overwinter a Bacopa on the balcony is a bit of a gamble and rarely works in colder climates. However, if you live somewhere with very mild, frost-free winters, you might get away with it. Just make sure to give it some extra armor: place the pot on an insulating base like Styrofoam or wood, and wrap the container in winter fleece or burlap to keep the roots cozy.
Winter maintenance tips
Even though the plant is resting, it still needs a little attention. Never let the root ball dry out completely! Water it regularly, but be careful not to overdo it—you want moist soil, not a swamp. This is also the prime time for hitchhikers, so keep an eye out for spider mites, aphids, or whiteflies.
Extra care for the “youngsters”
Be especially careful with young plants. Freshly propagated or newly planted Bacopas haven’t built up much resilience yet and are sitting ducks for bad weather. If there’s a chill in the air, protect these little guys with garden fleece or burlap until they’re better established.
