Gaura Gambit Rose

Description

Gaura ‘Gambit Rose’ – gaura

Botanical name: Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Gambit Rose’ (syn. Gaura lindheimeri)
Common names: Gaura, whirling butterflies
Family: Onagraceae
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Habit: Compact, bushy, clump-forming
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 40–50cm tall × 45cm spread
Foliage: Narrow, lance-shaped green leaves, often red-tinted; deciduous
Flowers: A long succession of dainty, rose-pink four-petalled flowers on slender, wiry stems, dancing in the breeze from early summer into autumn (June–October)
Scent: Not notably scented
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor to average; drought-tolerant; dislikes winter wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H4 (hardy, to about −10°C); can be short-lived in cold, wet gardens; USDA zones 6–9
Exposure: Warm, sheltered, sunny
Native range: Species native to North America
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Gaura ‘Gambit Rose’ is a compact perennial with dainty rose-pink flowers dancing on wiry stems from early summer into autumn. Airy, drought-tolerant and exceptionally long-flowering for sunny borders and pots.

GardenAdvice notes

Aptly nicknamed ‘whirling butterflies’, gaura produces a remarkably long succession of dainty four-petalled flowers on slender, wiry stems that dance and flutter in the slightest breeze. ‘Gambit Rose’ is a compact, well-behaved selection in rose-pink, flowering from early summer right into autumn. Airy and drought-tolerant, it is superb for weaving through sunny borders and in containers — though it needs sharp drainage, as cold, wet winters are its undoing.

Growing & planting

Plant in late spring in sharply drained, poor to average soil in full sun, in a warm, sheltered spot — it needs sun and excellent drainage, and dislikes cold, wet, heavy ground, especially in winter. Improve heavy soil with plenty of grit, or grow it in a container. Space about 45cm apart. Water sparingly.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. It flowers for months with little help; deadhead or shear over lightly if it gets untidy. Leave the old growth standing over winter to protect the crown, then cut back in spring, not autumn. It can be short-lived, especially in wet soil, so take cuttings every year or two as insurance. Keep it dry over winter.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take softwood cuttings in early summer — worth doing regularly, as plants can be short-lived.
• Division: Can be divided in spring, though the deep roots resent disturbance.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free in a sunny, sharply drained spot. Its main enemy by far is cold, wet winter soil, which kills it; it is naturally fairly short-lived. Otherwise little troubled by pests.

Uses in the garden

Superb in sunny, gravel and prairie-style borders and containers, weaving airily among other plants, where its dancing flowers bring months of light, delicate colour and movement.

Wildlife value

The long succession of flowers is attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects from summer into autumn.

Toxicity & safety

Gaura is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

Gaura flowers for an extraordinarily long time — months of dainty pink butterflies dancing on wiry stems — and ‘Gambit Rose’ is compact enough for a pot or the front of a border. The one thing that kills it is cold, wet winter soil, not cold itself, so give it the sharpest drainage you can, leave the old growth on over winter to protect the crown, and cut back in spring rather than autumn.

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