I bought my first Gaura this year. Its so delightful and I really like it but I don't know what to do about deadheading or trimming it back since the flowers are on the end of these long skinny stems.
Does it rebloom? Do you cut it back? If so how, when and where to you trim it?
Also does this plant come in different colors?
Yes, I have a pink Guara, it has bloomed alot and not looks kindy weird. I too wonder if I should do anything to it?
charlotte
Your Gaura is much more well behaved than mine. Mine is growing in every direction. I love it. The flowers are so delicate. I might have to move mine later in the Fall. Not knowing what the whole plants looked like when I planted them, I didn't put them in the ideal spots.
I have a white one that is trying to be a tree and a siskyou pink that is bushy. I just cut off the dead stems. It blooms almost year round here.
LOL. How big a tree, frogsrus? I am going to relocate mine. Just want to know how much room I should reserve for my Lindheimeri.
Thanks.
Uncertain. They are supposed to be bushy. This one has developed a stem so I am waiting to see what it is going to do. They will get fairly large. I would think your zone would keep them better behaved than mine does though. A 12 month growing season can produce monsters that must be tamed with scythe and shovel. Lol.
I have one too, love it, you can cut off the long stems but thats also were the seeds are going to be, they hang off the stem. It will keep putting out new stems and flowers till about mid to late October. Of course the more old stems you cut off the more new ones will grow out but I havnt had any problem by not cutting off the old ones. In the fall after it has died I cut down all the old growth as all new growth comes from the roots. Yup it has woody stems but I havnt seen any new growth coming from them from last year, only from the ground. Just make sure it has plenty of sun or it wont "bush" out the way it should.
Seeds need to dry on the stem before you harvest them but be aware that they can and do fall off easily sometimes.
Dravencat thanks much for that info and thanks everybody for your comments.
D.cat....is it easy to start from seed?
Yes, I start them from seed and they came up easily.
Saw a photo of Siskiyou Pink on Paul Allen Smith's website. Very pretty. Hmm, I want...
Here what he has to say about Gaura 'Siskiyou Pink': http://www.pallensmith.com
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As the temperatures rise and the rain begins to taper off I gain new appreciation for the plants in my garden that are heat and drought tolerant. One of my favorites is gaura or wand flower. It is called wand flower because its star shaped blooms are borne on long wispy stems.
I like to plant it in the garden or in containers where the delicate stems can grow up among other blooms and foliage. I think it works particularly well with round full plants with a feathery texture like artemisia. I am particularly fond of a variety called 'Siskiyou Pink'. The blooms are a dark pink highlighted with lighter pink edges. When a breeze blows through my garden the blooms look like shimmering pink stars.
Gaura lindheimeri is native in the United States from Louisiana to Texas. It is ideal for gardens where heat and arid conditions are concerns.
Another great thing about gaura is that if you cut it back after its first cycle of bloom, it will bloom again in the fall. Now the display may not be as spectacular as initially, but it is worth the effort.
I have one called Pink Fountain
New this year..
a close-up
I also picked up a Gaura 'Pink Fountain' this year (Home Depot, I think). I was trying to add some variety to my garden so I got this one mostly because of the color and foliage. I am not sure if I like the long flower stems or not. Somewhere I read that they will droop less in dry soil.
My question...I can't remember the exact numbers on the tag, but was something like 24" height x 24" wide. Does this include the flower stems or will the plant actually get that big?
edit: the plant tag say 30" x 30", spacing 30", also changed "drop" to "droop"
- Brent
This message was edited Jul 22, 2004 8:13 PM
This message was edited Jul 23, 2004 9:52 AM
Brent..you could always plant them behind something that will hold them up. My tag says 24 to 36 tall
and the same for spacing..
Here are mine, falling forwad into the Calendulas.I measured and the stems are about 32" tall now.
I had Pink Fountain, Siskiou Pink and a red that was shorter. Generally I lost 1-2 per year over winter but that could have been my poor draining clay soil.
The tallest, Whirling Butterflies, had to be staked which I hated.
I continue to love them almost above other plants in my garden, just for how they delicately sway in a slight breeze!
Mine get closer to 48" including flowers. I also like the wild look of them. Darius-you have a red one? Could a lowly frog beg a seed or three. I have never seen a red one. The birds are eating the seeds as fast as they set around here. They have stripped the bachelor buttons-not an easy task in the cottage garden. I went to get some seeds and they are gone, gone, gone.
frogs... i HAD a red one... in my old garden. Sorry, none now. Maybe next year in another garden. Sigh.
Thanks Darius. At least I know there is such a thing so I can look for it.
I have a gaura question: I bought "Blushing Butterflies" - at least that is the one it is supposed to be - this spring, put it in a bed, and it seems really healthy i.e. it looks well-established and has grown in height and spread out quite a bit. BUT, I don't have any blooms? Do these take two years to have blooms? I am wondering if I did something wrong, like maybe put it in the wrong spot, or???
Is it in full sun? They need full sun to do well. I have two, one is now hidden by another plant and bareley any new growth(gotta move it) the other in full sun looks great and blooms all over.
Mine did better the second year and much better in late August and September.
I am so jealous I have bought 3 gaura in the past and they all died, same luck with globe thistle...they must just hate me.
I picked up the 'Pink Fountain' at Lowe's this year. I just loved the reddish/purple toned foliage. Can't wait to see the flowers next year.
Bump! I have to say that my Gaura 'Pink Fountain' is really looking nice lately. The flowers were flopping over so I figured that I would cut them off and just enjoy the variety of the purple tones in the foliage (there real reason that I bought the plant in the first place).
Well since then the plant has put on more growth and sent up another round of flowers. This time the flowers are much more erect. Looks like this one is a winner in my garden!
- Brent
I grew Corrie's Gold this year, and it did as well as the whites or pinks.
Nice yellow variegation.
drew
This is the first year I've grown it, and I have to agree with those who recommend this plant. I planted two 'Whirling Butterflies' this spring and they were teeny tiny little things. One (the one planted in full sun as Dravencat rightly suggested) has been blooming for weeks and looks like it will continue after many of my plants have quit. The other is in pt sun/pt shade and is about to bloom. Accidently, I planted the first right beside a huge lavender which, as it turned out, has held it up nicely. It really looks pretty growing betwixt and between the lavender spikes. It's also very drought tolerant. The only problem I can see is if it isn't planted among other plants, it will probably need to be staked, which takes away part of its charm, I think.
potofgold, I have white guara and also globe thistle. I will send you some seeds of them both later on when I send the Korean Waxbells. Sandy
