Tuesday 12 November 2013

Gaura - like dancing butterflies


Gaura
Onagraceae

This is a genus of annuals, biennials and perennials. They produce tall, flexible stems, topped with spires of delicate white, pink or red flowers, giving the plant an airy appearance.
To succced with the beautiful plants they require fertile soil with good drainage.
do not cut them back for the winter and in April cut to the ground do not pull out thinking they are dead. They are herbaceous and reappear from ground level.

Gaura lindheimeri "Chiffon"
Gaura lindheimeri

Gaura lindheimeri "RosyJane"
Gaura lindheimeri "Ruby Ruby"
This variety was our first breeding selection which we now use as bloodline for other varieties. It is a good arching variety with good flowering season, and is of medium height. The soft pink colour makes it ideal for planting in mixed borders with grasses or perennials.







The G.lindheimeri specie has been used as the backbone of a lot of breeding. It is possible to grow this from seed, but as with all seed grown plants there is some variability which is a trait that breeders like to use as you never know what will appear.
An excellent garden plant for borders or containers.



                                  
                                                
Onto our first colour breakthrough the wonderful picotee edged Rosyjane. The usual colour for these plants is a solid flower colour. This plant has raised the profile of Gaura as good garden worthy plants.
Excellent as a stand alone planting or in mixed borders or containers, it is a tall variety. Now available worldwide.





Following on from Rosyjane we then produced this lovely, deep ruby coloured flowering variety with purple foliage, Ruby Ruby.
As growers of perennials we prefer elegant plants to squat dwarf varieties and Ruby Ruby is a smaller form but still has the elegance and beauty of the swaying flower stems.


    Our newest Breeding to be launched at Chelsea Flower Show 2014 Look out for this beauty available May 2014.

    
Gaura lindheimeri "Freefolk Rosy"


Another rarely offered specie is G.sinuta which is amazingly tall and upright in habit. This form is again pure white and flowers continuously all summer. It makes large clumps and does come true from seed.
We are using this bloodline for some of our other breeding to get good tall upright varieties which have different flower colour.
Gaura sinuata