Growing Gaura Plants - Information On The Care Of Gauras

Growing gaura plants (Gaura lindheimeri) provide a background plant for the garden that gives the impression of butterflies flitting in the breeze. The white flower blooms of growing gaura plants have earned it the common name of Whirling Butterflies. Other common names of the delicately flowering plant include Bee Blossom.

Gaura growing info says the wildflower was left in its natural, wild form until the 1980's when breeders developed the cultivar ‘Siskiyou Pink.' Several hybrids have since been developed to keep the cultivar under control and make it suitable for the flower bed.

Gaura Perennial Care

A tap rooted perennial, growing gaura plants do not like to be moved from place to place, so plant them where you want them to remain for several years. Seeds may be started indoors in peat or other biodegradable pots that can be planted directly into the sunny garden.

Care of gauras involves planting them into a full sun area with rich soil and deep drainage. Growth needs of the gaura plant include organic soil. This encourages development of the taproot. Gaura growing info indicates the plants are drought tolerant once established, consequently, little care of gaura is needed.

Water and fertilization needs are minimal once growing gaura plants are established, usually when they reach 3 feet (1 m.) in height and blooms appear.

Gaura growing info says the plant begins to blossom in mid-spring and continues to provide the unusual flowers until frost causes die back. Some gardeners find gaura to perform best when cut down to the roots in autumn.

Additional Growth Needs of the Gaura Plant

Unfortunately, gaura growing info also indicates that growth needs of the gaura plant may include more area than the gardener is willing to devote to them. Consequently, the removal of growing gaura plants outside of their boundaries may be a necessary part of gaura perennial care.

Now that you have this gaura growing info, give them a try in the sunny flower bed. Growing gaura plants can be an unusual addition to the xeriscape garden or sunny landscape. Choose hybridized varieties, such as Gaura lindheimeri, to avoid invasion in the garden.