Gaura, known in the Midwest and South as “Bee Blossom”

Family: Onagraceae (Evening primrose family)
Genus: Gaura
Species: lindheimeri

If you’re looking to add a spot of color and some lively breeziness to your border, consider a Gaura. This genus, a North American native, has 21 species at last count. G. lindheimeri and several others hail from the southeast and south central parts of our continent, although several wildflower forms are found in the Dakotas and throughout the northern Midwest. At least two Gaura species have become naturalized in southern Africa. No, I haven’t gotten to the bottom of that particular migration. Nor have I checked Lewis & Clark’s journals, but it’s not unlikely that they spotted a specimen or two on their westward treks.

The Gaura genus was left to its wild forms and considered unremarkable by plant collectors even into the 1980s; but a few passionate horticulturalists saw its potential and began to watch for sports on which to base new cultivars. Now these named varieties are widely available for our planting and viewing pleasure. Most of this breeding and propagation has been based on G. lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’, introduced by the talented folks at the Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery in Medford, Oregon, in 1994. Dan Hinkley and his Heronistas picked up on it quite soon after; and where Heronswood leads, plant aficionados are sure to follow. So today, most nurseries offer at least a limited selection of Gaura lindheimeri cultivars. Many of these are tagged as Northwest natives. More are being released every year from breeders in North America and others in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. And a quick survey of recent gardening magazines shows that Gaura is becoming a very popular plant indeed.

‘Siskiyou Pink’ is still my personal favorite. In my garden, the many stems that comprise this vase-shaped herbaceous perennial grow to a height of about three feet. Its leaves attach directly to the stems and are dark blue-green, tinged with deep red. The flowers open over a long season from mid-summer to first frost, one at a time, from red buds to white blossoms tinged with pink that deepen in color as they age. They move nicely in the breeze, so it’s easy to understand why one of the first G. lindheimeri cultivars was named ‘Whirling Butterflies’. The entire plant is light and airy, reminiscent of Boltonia asteroides in its ability to leaven the look of an entire border. But the individual blossoms aren’t at all daisy-like. And they don’t resemble the cup-shaped flowers of the evening primroses, either. They remind me more of the stars of the Camas that appear every spring in these parts.

Gauras don’t seem to be susceptible to diseases, and they’re bothered by few pests. Aphids may congregate near the buds, but they can easily be dislodged by a blast of water from the hose. In fact, you may have to uncoil the hose only for aphid control, since once they are established, Gauras need very little extra water. They form long taproots and are quite tolerant of drought, even when they’re placed in their favorite full sun. Their flowers will be most profuse if the plants are not given much fertilizer. Easy care, all around!

They are often featured in xeriscapes, although it must be mentioned that they do best in those gardens, and in mine, in well-prepared soil that’s been enriched and loosened with a good deal of organic material. Just sticking them in a straight-sided, cylindrical hole cut through the clay will make them dead in short order, water or no water. In our climate, they die back to their roots in the winter, no matter what soil they’re in. Some won’t reappear, while others-often those right next to the casualties-will. I’ve learned to cut them back to ground level in late February, mark their spots, and be patient. By mid-April, a few leaves will unfurl on a few short stems, and I’ll know that those season-long flowers aren’t far off.

Good things often have downsides, however, and the Gaura genus is no different. Some of the Gaura cousins, treasured as native wildflowers and prairie plants in the middle part of the country-and often associated with legends and healing practices among Native people-have turned out to like other areas all too well. Several species, including G. coccinea, G. odorata, and G. glabra have invaded their way onto noxious weed lists in several states. Gaura lindheimeri shows no such tendencies to spread, either by rhizome or by seed. It is remarkably well behaved, and will reward the slightest bit of care with lovely flowers on graceful stems that sway gently in the late summer breeze. While they are not the showiest flowers in the garden, they calm those that strive to be. These ideal companion plants will enhance any perennial border from July through September. They won’t give up until the chill of autumn forces them to.