Gaura lindheimeri The Bride Seeds

The Gaura lindhermeri 'The Bride' is a graceful and airy plant with many branching stems. From June to September it is covered with a profusion of purple buds bursting into bright white and pale pink flowers, the outside of the petals faintly orange. Its foliage is deciduous and composed of small, velvety, pale green leaves. It grows quickly. Although short-lived, this plant is both elegant and majestic, an essential in any flower garden. Ideal in dry to moist, even poor soil, in the sun. It is easy to sow and blooms quickly.

The Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride' belongs to the Onagraceae family, it is a cousin of the evening primrose. The natural habitat of Gaura lindheimeri is the border between Mexico and the United States (the prairies and pine forests of Louisiana and Texas, Houston). It is one of the most profusely flowering perennials. 'The Bride' has an airy tufted shape. It is a perennial with a taproot, forming a bushy, slightly flared clump from a rosette, 80 cm (31.5 in) tall, with a spread of 30 to 40 cm (11.8 - 15.7 in). It is the numerous and slender, branched flower stems that give the plant its bushy appearance. Flowering takes place in successive waves, from mid-spring to autumn. The butterfly-like flowers which are white and washed with pink, faintly orange on the outside and slightly more colourful than the original, mingle with the purple buds, grouped in panicles 30 to 80 cm (11.8 - 31.5 in) long. The foliage is deciduous and light green. The small leaves are downy on both sides. It has a taproot system that allows the plant to anchor itself well in poor, even rocky soils.

Gauras have quickly become the stars of urban flower beds and gardens. This success is explained by their incredible abundance of flowers and the speed at which they develop. These plants, which seem impervious to bad weather, quickly become indispensable after only one year. Wherever they are planted, they bring airiness, volume and grace. The elegant and majestic Gaura lindheimeri 'Snowbird' is an absolute essential in a white garden. It is at home at the back of of herbaceous borders or flower beds. It looks good with roses and between shrubs like Abelias and Deutzias, and combines well with other undemanding perennials like daylilies or bearded irises, catmints, Scabiosa 'Moon Dance', Asclepias 'Ice Ballet' and Oenothera versicolor. Gauras also do very well in large pots and window boxes. Their flowers add a very refined touch to bouquets.

The species name comes from the Greek 'gauros', which means majestic, magnificent, in reference to its astonishing flowers that look like butterflies clinging to the stems.