Gaura lindheimeri Sparkle White - Lindheimer's Beeblossom seeds

Gaura lindheimeri Sparkle White offers a denser and earlier flowering than most other varieties. It develops thin stems, topped with a whirl of dazzling star-shaped white flowers until the end of summer. This variety forms well-regulated clusters, neat-looking until late in the season, perfect for the front of borders or to line pathways. This plant is short-lived but elegant and proud, indispensable in a flower garden. Ideal in dry to moist, even poor soil, in full sun. Sowing is easy, it grows fast and flowers quickly.

Gaura lindheimeri Sparkle White belongs to the onagraceae family, it is a cousin of evening primroses. The natural range of Gaura lindheimeri, from which it originates, is located on the border between Mexico and the United States (Prairies and pine forests of Louisiana and Texas, Houston). It is one of the most floriferous plants. 'Sparkle White' has a compact tufted habit. It is a perennial with a taproot, forming a bushy, slightly spreading clump, 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) high, with a spread of 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in). It is the numerous, slender branched floral stems that give the plant its bushy appearance. Flowering occurs in successive waves, from mid-spring to autumn. The flowers look like butterflies and mix with the purple buds, grouped in paniculate spikes 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20in) long. They are white, barely tinged with pale pink and slightly salmon-coloured on the outside. The medium green foliage is deciduous. These small leaves are downy on both sides. The root system is a taproot that allows the plant to anchor itself in poor, even rocky soils.

Gauras have quickly become the stars of urban flower beds and gardens. This success is explained by their incredible floribundance and the speed at which they develop. These plants seem unaffected by the wind and quickly become indispensable for anyone who has tried them. No matter where they are planted, they bring lightness and grace. Gaura lindheimeri 'Sparkle White' fits well at the forefront of herbaceous borders or flower bed and highlights the curve of a pathway. It goes well with roses, grows between shrubs like abelias and deutzias and accompanies perennials like daylilies, catmints, Scabiosa Moon Dance, Asclepias Ice Ballet, and Oenothera versicolor. Gaura also thrives in pots and containers.

The species name comes from the Greek 'gauros' which means magnificent, proud, alluding to its astonishing flowering resembling butterflies clinging to its stems.