Dwarf Butterfly Bush

Dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Baby Butterflies Pearl' (Oenothera lindheimeri, still widely sold as Gaura lindheimeri) carries clouds of small white flowers on wiry stems that move in the slightest breeze. It is a genuinely dwarf form, holding at about 45cm tall and 45cm wide rather than sprawling like the older gauras. Flowering runs from spring through to autumn, a long season from a plant that wants no water once settled.

Why you'll love it

• Months of flower, not weeks. White blooms open continuously from spring into autumn with no deadheading required.
• Stays where you put it. The dwarf habit holds at 45cm each way, so it will not flop across a path the way full sized gaura does.
• Tough once established. Frost hardy, heat tolerant, drought tolerant and content in poor soil, which is a rare combination in a long flowering perennial.
• Alive with insects. Bees and butterflies work the flowers all season, and the movement of the stems adds to the effect.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 40cm apart for a continuous soft edge. At that spacing the plants merge into a single haze of white by the first summer without crowding each other.

Mass planting and rockeries. The same 40cm spacing works in a drift. Between rocks or on a dry sunny bank, single plants give height and movement above low growing companions.

Small gardens and pots. A pot 300mm or wider suits one plant on a sunny balcony or step. Small gardens benefit from its scale, since it flowers heavily without taking any real space.

Growing dwarf butterfly bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is essential; in shade it stretches and flowers poorly. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and subtropical gardens, and is frost hardy, though it may die back over a cold winter and reshoot in spring.

Soil. Free draining soil above all else. It tolerates poor, sandy and gravelly ground, but wet heavy clay in winter will kill it, so plant on a mound if that describes your beds.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. A light complete fertiliser in early spring is enough, since rich soil produces soft floppy growth.

Pruning. Shear the whole plant back by half in late winter, before new growth starts. That single cut resets the shape and keeps the clump dense for another full season.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six, so it is sold at the quantities a border actually needs rather than one plant at a time. The 140mm plants are young and establish quickly; the 200mm plants arrive fuller and often carrying flower.

The fine stems can look tousled after transit and straighten within a week or two. Growth is fast, so expect a filled clump in one season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Ideas for low growing border plants
• Plants that attract bees and butterflies
• Compare plants for small gardens
• Plants that suit rockeries and dry banks

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 40cm spacing that is about six plants per square metre. Any wider and the drift looks spotty in its first season, since each plant only reaches 45cm across.

Does it need cutting back?

Yes, once a year. Shear it back by half in late winter. Skipping that cut leaves a woody open centre and a shorter flowering season the following year.

Will it survive a cold winter?

It is frost hardy, though in cold districts it may lose most of its top growth and reshoot from the base in spring. Good winter drainage matters more than the cold itself.