Gaura Baby Butterflies Rose

Gaura 'Baby Butterflies Rose' (Oenothera lindheimeri 'Baby Butterflies Rose') is a dwarf selection that flowers for most of the year and asks for almost nothing in return. It makes a neat mound around 500mm tall and wide, with pink blooms held on wiry stems that move in the slightest breeze. Few perennials this hardy suit as much of the country: it takes frost, heat, drought and poor soil equally well.

Why you'll love it

• A very long flowering season. Pink flowers open in waves from spring through to autumn, and in mild gardens it barely stops.
• Compact where the species is not. Ordinary gaura sprawls to 1.2m and flops. This one holds a tidy 500mm mound, so it stays where you put it.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, which makes it an easy choice for a front border or a pot on a family patio.
• Bees and butterflies work it constantly. Open flowers are easy for pollinators to land on, and a group of them hums through summer.
• It suits almost any Australian climate. Frost hardy and heat tolerant, from cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens through to the subtropics and arid inland.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart along a path or the front of a bed. At that spacing the mounds meet into a soft continuous ribbon without crowding.

Mass planting. Groups of nine or more read far better than single plants, because the effect comes from many flowers moving together.

Pots and containers. One plant fills a 300mm pot. It is a good filler beside a taller feature plant, and the wiry stems soften a hard rim.

Growing gaura in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, at least six hours, or flowering thins out badly. It is frost hardy, so cool temperate and inland gardens are fine.

Soil. Any free draining soil, including poor and sandy ground. Heavy wet clay is the one thing it will not accept, so mound the bed and open the soil with coarse sand or gypsum first.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly for the first six to eight weeks, then only in dry spells. It is genuinely drought tolerant once established. A light controlled release fertiliser in early spring is all it needs, since rich feeding gives leaf at the expense of flowers.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by about half in late winter to reset it. A lighter trim after a heavy flowering flush brings on the next one within a few weeks.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in tube stock. A tube is a young rooted plant, a small rosette rather than a flowering bush, and it is the sensible way to buy a fast growing perennial: quick to establish and a fraction of the cost.

Expect it to fill its 500mm space within one growing season, with first flowers usually within two to three months of planting in warm weather. Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Low growing plant ideas for borders
• Browse plants that are safe for pets
• Compare bee and butterfly plants
• Plants suited to mass planting

Common questions

How many do I need per metre?

Two to three plants per running metre at 40cm spacing gives a continuous border. For a bed, allow about six plants per square metre.

Is it the same as the old Gaura lindheimeri?

Same plant, renamed. Botanists moved gaura into Oenothera, so you will see both names in circulation. This is a dwarf selection, not the tall sprawling form.

Will it survive a cold winter?

Yes. It is frost hardy and comes back reliably in spring, though growth stops and the plant thins out over the coldest weeks in cool temperate gardens.

Is it safe if my dog chews it?

It is not toxic to cats or dogs, so a nibble is not a concern. As with any plant, a large mouthful of foliage can still upset a sensitive stomach.