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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Onagraceae (Evening-primroses) |
| Origin: Southwest (U.S.) (North America) |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Fall |
| Synonyms: [Oenothera lindheimeri] |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: < 0 °F |
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Gaura lindheimeri 'So White' (So White Gaura) - This selection of one of our most common North American herbaceous perennials is a pure white flowering compact plant growing to only 18 to 24 inches tall, about half the height of the species. Like the species it has narrow lanceolate leaves growing along the erect stems that towards the tips bear pure white 1 inch wide 4 petaled white flowers loosely arranged on short wand-like inflorescences from late spring through fall. These flowers emerge from greenish white buds and have white stamen filaments so there is none of the pink coloration usually seen on the species. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil with occasional to infrequent irrigation. It is quite tolerant of periods of drought and while often listed as cold hardy down to USDA Zone 5, in the colder zones it does not reliably come back in the spring so is best used as an annual there or panted in Zones 6 and above as a perennial - reliably hardy to below 0°F. Cut back flower stalks for repeat bloom. This is a great plant for its showy, yet natural look, in the garden or in pots and this selection lacks the reddish spotting on the foliage sometimes seen on the species. Like the species it should prove resistant to predation by deer. This plant was a selection made by Malcolm and Hartley Lewis of Lewis Nursery in Buckland Park, South Australia that resulted from open pollination of plants of Gaura lindheimeri growing at their location. It was selected for compact habit, pure white flowers and absence of purple leaf spotting and received the protection afforded by Plant Breeders Rights in Australia in 1997. The native range of Gaura lindheimeri is from south eastern Texas east into to Louisiana and south into northern Mexico. The name Gaura is from the Greek word 'gauros' meaning "proud", "superb", "majestic" or "showy', alluding to the attractive flowers. The specific epithet was named by George Engelmann & Asa Gray in 1845 to honor Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer (1801 - 1879), a German-born explorer who spent his working life on the American frontier and settled in the New Braunfels area (near San Antonio) in the mid-1850s. The species has numerous other common names, including Bee Blossom, Appleblossom Grass, Lindheimer's Clockweed, Indian Feather, Whirling Butterflies and Dancing Butterflies and it received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993. The most recent treatment of the genus Gaura places them as a section within the Evening Primroses as a Oenothera species but continue to list this plant under Gaura until such time that this name change becomes more widely accepted so as to not confuse our customers or our staff.
This information about Gaura lindheimeri 'So White' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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