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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: 3-4 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 (White Gaura) - This is a wispy, upright 2-4 foot tall by 2 foot wide North American herbaceous perennial. It has narrow stalkless leaves that grow directly off of slender erect stems which toward the tips bear the 1 inch wide 4 petaled white flowers which emerge from pink buds from late spring through fall - though having a long flowering period, the flowers open only a few at a time and then last only a couple days so the well-spaced flowers have room to dance and sway in the wind, much like butterflies. It does best 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 planted in Zones 6 and above as a perennial - reliably hardy to below 0°F. Cut back flower stalks for repeat bloom and to keep plant from becoming to rangy. This is a great plant for its showy, yet natural look, in the garden or in large pots and reportedly it is resistant to predation by deer. The native range of this plant 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. This plant has numerous other common names, including Bee Blossom, Appleblossom Grass, Lindheimer's Clockweed, Indian Feather, Whirling Butterflies and Dancing Butterflies, but is usually just called Gaura or White Gaura. This plant received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993. Most recent treatment of the genus Gaura places them as a section within the Evening Primroses as a Oenothera species but the Plant List, the collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and Missouri Botanic Gardens still lists Gaura lindheimeri as a valid name. We continue to list this plant under Gaura until such time that this name change becomes more widely accepted.
The information on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources as well as from observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery, in the nursery's garden and in other gardens that we have visited. We have also incorporated comments received from others and always appreciate getting feedback of any kind from those who have some additional information, particularly if this information is contrary to what we have written or includes additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing Gaura lindheimeri.
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