How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Gaura Lindheimeri

Beautiful in wildflower gardens, Gaura lindheimeri is more commonly known as Lindheimer’s beeblossom. Named after the German-born botanist Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer, gaura plant is from the family Onagraceae. In 2007, its name was changed to Oenothera lindheimeri, however many nurseries still use gaura to identify it.

The white flowers or bright pink flowers it produces look like butterflies, and it’s got a long blooming season. Drought-tolerant, this garden perennial looks best when it’s allowed to sprawl out and naturalize. It’s good for xeriscaping as well!

A warm weather loving species, the butterfly plant is well worth adding to your garden beds. Let’s talk about everything that beeblossom can offer for your landscaping needs!

What is Gaura Lindheimeri?

Gaura lindheimeri is part of family Onagraceae, a species of Oenothera. Its new botanical name is Oenothera lindheimeri. Some of its common names include Indian feather, Lindheimer’s clockweed, white gaura, pink, and Lindheimer’s beeblossom.

Native Area

Native to North America, Gaura lindheimeri is most commonly found in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. It thrives in areas with well-drained soils and tolerates dry and sandy conditions, reflecting its adaptation to the region’s natural environment. This perennial plant is accustomed to full sun and open spaces, making it a resilient choice for gardens with similar climates. Its delicate, butterfly-like flowers mimic the graceful, wild beauty of its native habitat.

Characteristics

An herbaceous perennial, it can reach heights of up to five feet tall. Its stems are clad with long, spearpoint-like leaves about three inches in length. The flower spikes are wiry and tall, with pinkish buds that open to become white or pink flowers.

From early spring until the first frosts in the fall, it will bloom white or pink flowers. This long bloom time has a lot to do with how it flowers. Only a few flowers appear at at time on each of the flower spikes. As they fade and drop from the stem, new ones open.

Each of the white or pink flowers has four petals and a little cluster of long stamens that burst from the center of the flower. The four petals look a bit like the shape of a butterfly, which is where cultivars like ‘Whirling Butterflies’ get their name. A sport of the original known as ‘Siskiyou Pink’ is from which all pink-colored gaura is derived.

Gaura lindheimeri can be container-grown, but does just as well as a border plant or clustered together in a garden bed. It’s a prized addition for a native plant garden.

The plant has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for several varieties. Popular cultivars include:

• ‘Siskiyou Pink’: A rose-pink cultivar that forms from deep maroon buds that bloom into more intensely colored petals, averaging 18-24″ tall.
• ‘Whirling Butterflies’: White blooms with reddish stems. It averages two to five feet tall.
• ‘Cherry Brandy’: A deep rose pink tinged gaura with ruby-colored to pink buds, more compact at 12-18″ tall.
• ‘Corrie’s Gold’: White flowers tinged with pink. The green foliage is edged with yellow, and compact at 18″.
• ‘Snowstorm’: A white variety that is not as cold-hardy as others but flowers heavily.

Planting

To plant Gaura lindheimeri, choose a location with full sun and well-draining soil, as this drought-tolerant perennial thrives in bright, open spaces. Dig a hole about twice as wide and slightly deeper than the plant’s root ball.

Place the plant in the hole, ensuring the crown (where the roots meet the stems) is level with the surrounding soil. Backfill with soil, gently firming it around the roots to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly after planting to help the roots establish. Space plants about 12–18 inches apart to accommodate their natural growth. Once established, they require minimal watering and care, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance gardens.

How to Grow

Caring for Gaura lindheimeri is relatively simple. In the wild, it likes to sprawl, making it perfect for a natural wildflower garden. However, it can also be maintained in more formal beds. Let’s go over care tips for this lovely plant!

Light

Sunlight is not a challenge for Gaura lindheimeri. While in the hottest climates it enjoys a little afternoon shade, it can be grown in full sun quite easily. It performs best in zones 5-9.

In colder climates, the plant will die back to its woody taproot when the weather shifts towards winter. It’s important to provide a heavy winter mulch to protect the roots, as it can die from cold exposure.

Water

Although somewhat drought-tolerant, Gaura lindheimeri performs best with consistently damp soil. It’ll hang on during the drier times of year, but may not flower as heavily if it’s thirsty.

These plants are surprisingly tolerant of humidity. However, they don’t perform well in soggy soil.

Soil

The soil for this plant should be sandy or loamy and extremely well-drained. These plants don’t like to have soggy taproots! Overly rich soils can cause the plant to grow rapidly, resulting in spindly flower stems that flop over. Providing soil that will hold a small amount of moisture but isn’t too nutrient-dense will result in the best growth.

Temperature

Gaura lindheimeri thrives in a wide range of temperatures, reflecting its native adaptability to warm climates. It performs best in areas with mild to hot summers, tolerating temperatures up to 90–100°F (32-38°C) with ease. This perennial is also moderately cold-hardy, enduring winter temperatures to 0°F (-18°C). Heavy mulching around the base can help protect the roots during harsh winters in colder regions.

Fertilizer

As mentioned above, too rich of a soil causes the plant to spike in growth, causing spindly stems. It will perform fine in poor soils or low-fertilizer situations.

You can generally skip the fertilizer. If you want, you add a little compost around the base of the plant in the fall before mulching it thickly for winter protection. The compost breaks down into the soil over the winter and provides plenty of food for new growth.

Maintenance

Prune your gaura twice a year. Once will be in the late winter or early spring. This pruning encourages a flush of new growth and ensures any winter-killed foliage is removed. Cut back up to half the plant.

In the late summer, you can do another pruning to remove spent white or pink flowers, stem tips, and excess leggy growth. This one should not be as severe as the spring pruning, and you shouldn’t remove more than a third of the plant.

Propagation

Gaura lindheimeri is propagated by cuttings or from seed.

When taking cuttings, be sure to use a rooting hormone to help them develop good roots. Care for your cuttings as you would other species. The cuttings should be taken from the base of the plant in the summer.

The reddish brown seeds are only viable for the base plant and a few of its cultivars. Not all cultivars will form true to their type from seed. It’s more reliable to propagate this plant from cuttings.

Common Problems

Gaura lindheimeri has very few serious issues. Let’s go over those that may arise.  

Growing Problems

While drought-resistant, gaura is not immune to heat. In extremely hot weather, the leaves may curl or develop reddish edges. You can cut back the plant a bit to try to reinvigorate the remainder, but it may be easier to water your garden consistently.

Due to the long taproot, gaura plants aren’t easy to transplant. That long root makes them less at risk from drought, but it also is easily broken or damaged. Once you’ve selected a location, plan to keep them there permanently.

Pests

Most insects aren’t interested in gaura. In fact, the most likely pests you’ll find are aphids at the tips of the flower stem. Whiteflies and flea beetles are occasionally present as well. We’ve compiled in-depth articles on managing all of these pests, chock-full of methods of keeping them at bay!

Diseases

While disease can appear, it’s not common. Those you’re likely to find on your plants are easy to prevent.

Root rot tends to flourish in soil that isn’t well-drained. Ensure your plants are in soil with good drainage, as their taproot is susceptible to this problem.

Powdery mildew is easily treatable, as is rust fungus. Both of these are fungally-based as well. Neem oil applied to your plants will clean these issues up rapidly.

Frequently Asked Questions