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Gaura lindheimeri |
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Family |
onagraceae |
Life cycle |
perennial (Z5-10) |
Flowers |
pink (summer) |
Size |
3' |
Light |
sun |
Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil (drought-tolerant) |
From seed  |
germinate at room temperature, may be slow Flowers first year from seed sown indoors early.
detailed seed-starting info below
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We had our first batch of gauras in Pennsylvania for years, then all of a sudden one year none of them came back. It was after a somewhat harsher winter, so I considered them marginally hardy in zone 6. But perhaps they're just short-lived (I've even seen it on a few lists of biennials - but they've lasted more than two years in our garden). In one batch grown from seed; the plants bloomed hesitatingly in their first year, and more enthusiastically the second year. Having moved to Houston, I find that all the stores offer the red-leaved, pink-flowered variety rather than the white one. I like both, but I think I prefer the habit of my old white ones – whether that habit is due to the variety or to the difference in gardening conditions, I don't know. In any case, the plants are hardy but not long-lived here as well – but easy to come by, so we're never long without them.
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| I like the cute little white cross-shaped features (stigmas, most likely) contrasting with the pink petals |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following area: waterfall pondside One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
Visitors to this page have left the following commentsLatashua | Jul 30, 2008 | I found growing in my feild what I beleive is a flower from the gaura family. It has spines (kinda like thorns) on a tall stem, with 7 leaves. The flowers look just like the gaura. There is a row of white ones on the lower level, and the upper level is pink. with what looks like more unbloomed ones comming out on the top. If you have any information as to what this plant is I would appreciate it. My email address is jandlgerlt@ yahoo.com |
ACWinOH | Oct 18, 2008 | I've tried gaura twice in my garden and apparently they don't like living with me. :( When we visited our girls in SC we saw a garden with waves of gaura swaying in front of boxwood. Breathtaking! Made sure the daughter w/sun had some plants of her own when we left. - Carol |
Irena Montuori | Oct 11, 2009 | Gaura is a short lived perennial plant (after 3 years it just dies), however it seems to self seed in my garden. Small plants are ok to transplant. I have white and pink ones. Birds love the seeds, and in late fall and early winter I have watched them with amazement jumping to the bend branches to get the seeds (including Cardinals). |
Lynn Schneider | Oct 15, 2012 | I have two guaras in my garden. The more mature plant has taken up more space that I anticipated. Is it possible to divide this plant and when is the best time of year? Thank you. I believe that gauras grow from a single woody taproot – so dividing isn't the best way to go. I'd wait till spring, and move (one of) the plants when new growth is just starting to show. That's assuming they return next spring – my experience with gauras is that they're rather short-lived. |
casac14094 | Oct 18, 2013 | I acquired some gaura lindeiheri seed pods, From what your saying I assume the entire pod is the actual seed. The pods are very hard, Do they need to be filed or cracked before planting. I know some hard seeds need to be filed or scored as the pod is too had to germinate. I've germinated the seeds without nicking them, so I think you can sow them as is. |
- Seed from '04 trade. Baggy 70F (80%G, 7-45d)
- Same seed as above. Baggy 70F (no G, 4w)
- Seed from '07 garden. Baggy 70F (no G, 23d). May have harvested these too early.
- Seed from '13 trade. Baggy 70F (85%G, 11-16d)
Seeds look like blimp-shaped pods. More than one seedling can emerge from the same pod. Germination continues over an extended period.
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common mis-spellings: guara
Last modified:
May 09, 2022
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