Gaura

15 years ago

I had a wonderful garden dream a couple of weeks ago. All the snow in the yard at my new house melted away and spring came and all of my new bulbs were flowering. What was most striking and beautiful was that the back yard was like a wildflower meadow. Some of it was the bulbs I actually did plant last fall but most was gaura. It was totally beautiful and the weird part is that I have never grown this plant. In fact I don't know anything about it and only realized it was gaura because the next night I was going through my Bluestone catalog. Anyway I am now obsessed with gaura and would love peoples thoughts about the plant and recommendations for which cultivars to grow. I would love to convert my backyard to a gaura wildflower meadow but think this would be not only expensive but maybe sublime for only about 2 weeks.

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Comments (10)

laceyvail 6A, WV
15 years ago
The key thing for success with Gaura is excellent drainage and not cutting back the plant until spring. Like the western Agastaches, Gaura doesn't like winter wet, and not cutting back in fall helps prevent water being drawn into the crown during the dormant period.
ontnative
15 years ago
One of my favourites is 'The Bride'. It grows about 3 feet and blooms a LONG time, is very willowy and pretty. I am in USDA 4 and it is very hardy for me. No watering either. I grow it on my boulevard, exposed to road salt, etc. It can be a bit floppy, though. I think that is part of it's charm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaura info.
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gottagarden
15 years ago
It has one of the longest bloom times of any perennial.
christinmk z5b eastern WA
15 years ago
It is interesting to see the different experiences with this plant. I tried growing a Gaura several years ago and it died over the winter. Like lacyveil said, it does not like wet winters. My ex-neighbor tried them several times and each one died. I replaced mine with Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed) which, though much taller, has a similar flowers. Epilobium can be somewhat invasive.
If you do get Gaura, I suggest that you only buy one or two plants. Plant them and see if they survive the winter. That way you can see how well they work in your area.
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spazzycat_1
15 years ago
Deer couldn't keep their snouts off my gaura, so if deer resistance is important to you, it may not be very rewarding to grow without sprays or repellants of some kind. Be sure to plant in well-drained soil. Once established, I found that they didn't need any supplemental irrigation. One thing you should maybe look for when choosing a cultivar is compactness. Some cultivars, such as 'Whirling Butterflies' were way too floppy for me.
jackied164 z6 MA
Original Author
15 years ago
I appreciate everyone's input. I will definitely have to choose the right spot because my new yard has areas with drainage issues. I can deal with flop....I am actually a fan of some flop but will keep this in mind. I live in a fairly congested suburban area. Although there is a large multi-town "wilderness" reservation right down the street- I cannot imagine that deer would be a problem here.
terrene
15 years ago
I am winter-sowing Gaura lindheimeri this year. I was planning to plant it out back in a meadow area, which is sunny, lean soil, and dry. I've read that good drainage is essential with this plant and that rich soil can make it flop.

Could be a problem if the deer love it though, they like to traipse through the back area and nibble on my seedlings!
Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)
15 years ago
I grew my Gaura from seed so it's just the plain Gaura. I have it in a pretty root congested front border (I water pretty regularly in our hot summers),but because of all the other plants there is seldom any excess moisture that accumulates. The fact that it grows with all this root competition impresses me. I cut mine back after it's first bloom cycle in mid summer or so and it flowers again in late fall for me. This might not work however for those of you in a more northerly climate where summers are much shorter. I've also tried the pink Siskiyou but it kept reverting to the species so I pulled it. I want to try the Crimson Butterflies this year. There are many varieties to try if you get hooked.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaura Varieties
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
15 years ago
I love gaura blowing in the wind. Put it somewhere it will catch the breeze.
pam_whitbyon
15 years ago
I bought some Pink Gaura 3 years ago and fell in love with it but it was sold as an annual/tender perennial. Imagine my further delight when it all came back each year, bigger and better, and filling in spaces in a nice breezy meadow-like way.

Its definitely one of my favourites. Ive now moved out of 5b to 6 so I'll be buying lots for my new yard.