Scaevola Aemula "Touch Purple" Hanging Basket 20cm

Common Names

• Purple Fan Flower
• Fan Flower
• Scaevola

Botanical Name

Scaevola aemula 'Touch Purple'

Product Description

The Touch Purple Fan Flower (Scaevola aemula 'Touch Purple') is a spectacular flowering plant producing masses of distinctive purple, fan-shaped flowers against lush green foliage. Its naturally compact and spreading habit makes it especially well suited to hanging baskets, where the flowering stems cascade beautifully over the sides.

Part of the TOUCH™ series, this Scaevola is valued for its abundant flowering, controlled growth habit and excellent summer performance. The flowers continue to appear without requiring regular deadheading, creating a long-lasting display of colour on patios, balconies and garden entrances.

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, although it performs best outdoors in a sunny position.

Pot Size

20 cm Hanging Basket

Best Growing Conditions

• Light: Full sun; aim for approximately 6+ hours of direct sunlight.
• Soil: Moderately fertile, humus-rich and well drained.
• Moisture: Moderate watering while establishing; allow excess water to drain away. Once established, it tolerates relatively dry conditions.
• pH: Slightly acidic to neutral is suitable.
• Temperature: Heat tolerant and performs particularly well during warm weather.
• Pruning: Light trimming can be used to maintain the shape of the hanging basket, although the plant naturally develops a controlled mounding habit.

🌱 Recommended Growing Medium / Compost

For a 20 cm hanging basket, use a high-quality, lightweight, well-draining potting mix rather than heavy garden soil.

Recommended mix:

• Quality potting compost as the main component
• Compost or well-decomposed organic matter for nutrient retention
• Perlite or pumice to improve drainage and aeration

The important point for Scaevola is good drainage. It should not sit in saturated compost. Commercial horticultural information specifically describes S. aemula as suited to well-drained soils and low-to-moderate moisture.

🌸 Recommended Fertiliser

Because this is a heavy-flowering hanging-basket plant, I recommend:

At planting:
Use a balanced controlled-release flowering fertiliser incorporated according to the manufacturer's label.

During active flowering:
Supplement with a water-soluble fertiliser for flowering plants approximately every 2–3 weeks, following the product label.

This is particularly important in hanging baskets because frequent watering can gradually leach nutrients from the relatively small volume of compost. South African nursery guidance for the TOUCH™ Scaevola specifically recommends feeding containers regularly.

Avoid excessive nitrogen, as this can encourage lush foliage at the expense of flowering.

Additional Benefits

• 💜 Abundant purple fan-shaped flowers
• 🌿 Attractive green foliage
• 🌸 Long flowering period
• ☀️ Excellent heat tolerance
• 💧 Drought tolerant once established
• 🦋 Attractive to pollinating insects
• 🪴 Exceptional hanging-basket plant
• 🌱 Naturally compact and mounded
• ✂️ Does not require routine deadheading
• Low maintenance
• Suitable for indoor and outdoor use

Ideal Uses

• 20 cm hanging baskets
• Patios
• Balconies
• Entrances
• Courtyards
• Containers
• Garden borders
• Rockeries
• Mass planting
• Commercial landscaping
• Residential gardens

🌿 What it will look like planted out

Given time to establish, Touch Purple develops into a dense, rounded mound with numerous purple fan-shaped flowers, while in a hanging basket the stems gradually spill over the basket to create a cascading flowering display. The TOUCH™ series is documented at approximately 20–25 cm high and 25–41 cm wide.