Gaura is a graceful perennial known for its delicate, butterfly-like flowers on slender, upright stems. This long-blooming plant adds texture and movement to various landscape designs, from formal borders to naturalized areas.
Why Gaura?
Gaura is a favored choice for gardeners due to its beauty and ease of care. These plants are low-maintenance and drought tolerant once established, making them suitable for water-wise landscapes. Their blooming season extends from late spring through autumn, providing continuous color. Gaura flowers attract pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds, and the plant integrates into diverse garden styles, from cottage gardens to containers.
Popular Gaura Varieties
Whirling Butterflies
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is known for its classic white, airy flowers. These four-petaled blooms are carried on tall, arching, reddish stems, creating a graceful, dancing effect. This cultivar reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, forming a vase-shaped clump. It blooms from late spring into autumn, displaying delicate, butterfly-like blossoms.
Siskiyou Pink
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’ presents vibrant rose-pink flowers. This variety maintains a slightly more compact growth habit than ‘Whirling Butterflies’, growing to 2.5 to 3 feet tall and wide. Its blooms, emerging from deep maroon buds, appear on rigid, wiry stems throughout spring and autumn, adding a cheerful hue to mixed borders.
Crimson Butterflies
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Crimson Butterflies’ offers a deeper pink to reddish flower color, complemented by dark or burgundy-tinged foliage. This combination provides strong visual contrast. Reaching 12 to 24 inches tall with a similar spread, it forms a compact, bushy mound. The hot pink flowers, on reddish stems, bloom from late spring into autumn, making it ideal for containers or the front of a border.
Belleza Series
The ‘Belleza’ series is known for its compact, mounding growth habit, making it well-suited for containers or smaller garden spaces. This series offers colors like ‘Belleza Pink’ and ‘Belleza White’. These cultivars feature excellent branching and an upright habit, with star-shaped flowers that bloom continuously from early summer into early fall.
Stratosphere White
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Stratosphere White’ is characterized by its pure white flowers above green foliage. This variety exhibits a uniform, upright growth habit, reaching 12 to 24 inches tall with an 8 to 14 inch spread. Its crisp white blooms appear on tall stems from early summer to early fall, making it ideal for mass plantings where a consistent, bright display is desired.
Selecting the Ideal Gaura Variety
Choosing the right Gaura variety involves considering several factors. First, assess the desired flower color, such as white, pink, or bicolored options. Next, consider the mature plant size, including height and spread, to ensure it fits the available space. For instance, compact series like ‘Belleza’ suit containers, while taller varieties like ‘Whirling Butterflies’ can anchor mixed borders.
Consider the intended use, such as mass planting, border edging, or a focal point, as this influences the ideal growth habit and size. Finally, confirm hardiness zone compatibility to ensure the variety withstands your local climate.
Essential Gaura Care
Gaura plants are easy to care for once established. They perform best in full sun, receiving at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, which promotes vigorous growth and abundant flowering. Well-draining soil is important, as Gaura is susceptible to root rot in overly wet conditions; sandy or loamy soils are ideal.
While newly planted Gaura benefits from regular watering, established plants are drought tolerant and require less frequent irrigation. Fertilization should be minimal; overly rich soil can lead to leggy growth and reduced flowering. To encourage continuous blooming and maintain a tidy appearance, deadhead spent flowers by snipping off faded stems. Pruning about one-third of the stems in late spring or early summer can encourage bushier growth and a more robust display.