Pink guara growing in my front bed
If you are looking for a plant that is tough as nails and blooms from spring through fall, then guara may be a fit for your garden. Gaura is a Texas native that loves full sun and tolerates drought. I have learned to appreciate its drought tolerance this summer. Right now, I am pouring the water to my beds. While it is keeping things alive, nothing is thriving. Nothing that is, except the guara.
The guara that I have is a pink variety known as Onagraceae Guara lindheimeri. This variety grows natively in the Texas Hill country. As the name implies, guara was first “discovered” by Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer. Lindheimer is known as the father of Texas botany. He worked as the first botanist in the state primarily between 1843 and 1852. Because of his extensive life-long work with plants, his name has now been assigned to 48 species and sub species of plants.
The delicate pink flowers of my guara
There are 20 species of guara that are native to the United States. This perennial can be found in Texas, Louisiana, and most of the Gulf South. Gaura is an upright growing plant that grows in clumps that can be 2’ to 4’ high and just as wide. The leaves are long and skinny with slightly serrated leaves. The plant produces long, thin stalks that are often red to burgundy in color. The inch long flowers have four petals and grow along these stems. The flowers can range in color from white to deep magenta and they drop after full bloom. Some varieties bloom white and then turn to pink in a single day. Many times, the flowers grow on the ends of the stems. When viewed from a distance, the flowers on the terminal ends of the stalks appear to be tiny butterflies “dancing” above the plant. This gives rise to its common name; Whirling Butterflies.
Guara is very easy to grow from transplants. Plant in early spring in full sun or partial shade. It prefers rich, well drained soil and it will tolerate alkaline conditions. It grows quickly and by early summer you will have a fairly large and attractive plant. By fall, your guara will be a large full clump of “Whirling Butterflies”.
Guara can reseed but it is not an aggressive self seeder. You can also divide guara once it has been established for several years. However, it develops a deep tap root and this can make transplanting a bit of a challenge.
A lovely white form at the Spoetzel Home in Schulenberg, Texas.
Gaura is an attractive long blooming perennial that is perfect for the Texas border. Its open, airy foliage is attractive even when not in bloom. It flowers prolifically from spring through fall and butterflies and humming birds love the small flowers. While it may not be the flashiest plant in the garden, it is tough and reliable. The way it has continued to thrive in spite of the worst drought in our history has convinced me to use more of this survivor in my beds. Why don’t you try some in yours?
I planted a guara last year. The plant is still there looking like old twigs. Is there still hope that it may come back?
Most definitely. Not sure how north you live but it should come back soon. Mine are beginning to put on leaves and a few blooms right now. Each winter, I cut my “twigs” back almost to the ground so feel free to clean yours up a bit. Keep watering and be a little patient and you should be enjoying your “whirling butterflies” again soon.
In South Carolina we call Guara “Dancing Butterflies”, which echoes your original description of the flowers, which appear to be DANCING on the ends of the stems in a breeze…they are very heat, humidity & drought tolerant for sure!!! AND, the bees, hummingbirds & butterflies LOVE them!
Becca in Charleston, SC
We are in Zone 4a and guara flourishes here (Adirondack Mountains). It looks like sticks as you describe, but there are tiny green seedlings coming up today after soaking rain yesterday
What a beautiful part of the country. So glad to hear you are getting some rain. I love getting comments from different zones. My guara is now in full flower and yours is just beginning to sprout. That is one of the reason’s I love plants, they are so diverse and so adaptable. Thanks for reading and for taking time to comment!
Please help! I have 2 guara plants that are drooping over, though they look healthy and are getting enough water. I love them, and have others that look OK. What to do?
There are so many things that could be wrong. I really need more info. Are they new plants or established? Are they getting too much water? There are not a lot of pests that bother them so I doubt that is it. Are the two that are drooping in an isolated spot? If you live where cotton was grown they might be affected by cotton root rot. If you want to send me pictures to jay@masterofhort.com I will be happy to look at them.
No, they’re not isolated and are in different parts of the yard. They look healthy. What would be too much water? They’re about 2 years old. I live in New Mexico. Maybe it’s Aliens landing on top of them at night – a la crop circles! : ) Thanks for any thoughts! jf
It may be aliens! This fall I planted a row of 11 needle point hollies. 10 are doing great. One is deader than door nail. And, it is in the middle of the row. I can’t figure it out. About the too much water. Gaura is native to the Southwest and Mexico. Because of that it can survive on very little water. Kind of like lavendar, 17″-20″ of water per year. Of course that depends a lot on the soil. If you are in course sand I would water on the high end.
I’m going to try to send you a picture – it’s so weird. Thanks!
should you cut the little sticks back? I did (zone 5) and still no green. I a tempted to just go buy a new one but I am having trouble find one. It was my favorite plant last year.
I always cut mine back almost to the ground so that should not be the problem. Was it an older plant? I have had several salvias that have been in place for several years not come back this year. I would advise waiting a little longer before you give up. I also understand about it being difficult to find. Even though it is a Texas native, there is only one place in my town that reliably has it.
Interesting that you say the Guara was tough to find this year. I couldn’t find it in any of the nurseries near me nor in the online nurseries and was so frustrated. Then, in early July, my local supermarket had pink guards. I was so happy!
If you are still looking to buy it, I am not in Texas, but noticed they sell Guara at Walmart, in 2 sizes & white or pink, & still have some left for this year. Also you could order plants online.
I’m in zone 4 how can I keep these plants for next year
I am not sure you can as far north as you are. However, if you want to try, cut them back to where about 1″ of stalk is left. Then, completely cover it in mulch. Ground up leaves and grass clippings are great but if you don’t have those use a good hardwood mulch
I live in Katy, Texas and am having a difficult time finding Guara in the local nurseries. Any suggestions of where I can purchase this plant?
Have you tried Arbor Gate? I haven’t been this spring so I am not sure but they usually have it. If you are up for a road trip I also like the Garden Center in Schulenburg. However, I would give them a call before heading out. If those fail I would call Buchanan’s Native Plants in the Heights. Best of luck!
Thanks! I found it at Cornelius, but I mentioned Arbor Gate and the worker said I just HAVE to go there, so it’s definitely on my list!
Enchanted gardens
Home Depot is selling it in Kingman, Arizona at the present time under the Vigoro Label. I’m going to try it here since our Summers are HOT and Winters COLD; supposedly the label says it can take temperatures down to MINUS 20 degrees!
Thanks for the tip!
I am in Northwest Arkansas and have two white ones that I planted this spring. I bought them at Westwood Gardens on Weddington (NWA residents know where that is!) Westwood had a good selection in May of white and pink varieties. The plants are doing very well, despite ALL the rain and fair to normal drainage. So they must be adapting to our wetter climate. I also have a pink one I transplanted yesterday from a large pot (gift from neighbor moving out of state) to an area where some pink jazzy echinacea are doing very well. I dug quite a bit of the soil with the plant. The guara is drooping but I suspect it is just in shock. The drainage is good. Any suggestions?
I think it will be alright with a little time. Transplanting a full grown plant can be traumatic. Even though you got a lot of soil I am pretty sure a bunch of little roots were broken. The small new roots are the most active and take up the most water so breaking them makes it hard to keep a large plant hydrated. Over the next few days keep the soil moist but not wet. If it doesn’t perk up in a week consider cutting it back. It may not bloom this year if you cut it back but at least it will get established and be ready for next year
Thanks for the quick response. I notice today it is looking pretty good. So I think it will be fine. Thanks for the heads up on the watering, though. I’ll watch that.
Hi Jane,
It’s very hot and DRY here and my guara, though healthy looking and blooming, droops from the center to the ground. Have not been able to figure it out. Jaye – New Mexico
I purchased 2 here in Michigan zone 5b last year. Both did very well last year, but I lost one with our horrendous winter we just had. The other is back, big, beautiful, and I have found 4 babies! Love these plants, one of my favs!
Thanks for sharing that. I love it too. I get a lot of questions about growing it much further north than where I live. Thanks for letting me know that it can make it as far north as Zone 5B!
Can I plant guara in the fall? before the first frost, of course. thanx from albuquerque nm
Yes. Guara is a perennial and it is best to plant all perennials in the fall. Fall planting allows perennials to establish a healthy root system while temperatures are cool.
Thank you Jay. That helps me understand when to plant all my perennials.
Mr. White,
I have read several comments about propagating the Vitex tree. Can you please give me your thoughts? thanx
I live in Fort Myers FL. Is it possible to grow Guara there?
Yes you can! The further south the better for guara.
I live in Zone 6, the New York suburbs. I bought a guara this summer at Home Depot for my new perennial butterfly garden. It has become my favorite plant. I love the way the stems sort of ripple in the breeze. The little pink flowers are wonderful. No butterflies yet, but the bees seem to love it, and that’s a good thing, too. Should I go the heavy mulching route this winter? It does get cold here, but not as cold as Michigan.
As far north as you guys are I would say a definite yes to the deep mulch. While there are different varieties of the plant, the ones I grow died in a very unusual 18 degree cold snap. I did not have them mulched very well though. I would recommend cutting them back as soon as they lose all of their leaves and then covering them with at least 6″ of mulch. Best of luck and please let me know how it works out!
Thanks! I look forward to giving you happy news in the spring.
Sorry I didn’t respond earlier! Our winter was bad, and then we had a bad frost in the spring. My Guara never reappeared. I replaced it, and reported in an earlier post today. We had lovely buds on our hydrangeas, and they died during the frost. There was hardly a hydrangea blossom in my entire area. So sad. I live just north of New York City.
It is interesting to me that I have received two comments now in a week from your area with similar symptoms on the guara. I might be worth a call to your local extension office to see if they have heard others talk about this and see if they have any ideas why it is no blooming and ultimately dying. Thanks for the update!
Thank you. I love your blog (Is This a blog? I’m really don’t know much about these things.)
Thanks Doris! It is indeed a blog. Glad you are enjoying it!
As soon as the temperature and humidity went down from the 90’s (both of them!) my guara perked up. The red bud-like blooms opened and turned more pink, and the stems doubled in size and some of them are dancing. I am a happy girl.
Very happy for you! Pray for continued good weather!
I have a white one. Does great in Zone 7, too (Northwest Arkansas).
. . . Also, when it gets taller than I want, I prune it back to almost 1/2 and it grows quickly and displays another wonderful display of blossoms. The bees love mine, too.
Thanks for the hint, though I doubt mine will grow any taller before the frost hits.
I live in northern Vermont. I planted three pink Passionate Rainbow guara in my front garden two years ago. They over-wintered without any cutting back and were buried under about three feet of snow from December through mid April. I was sure they would perish under those conditions, but all three came back and were lush and gorgeous all summer and into fall. Today, while out shopping, my landscaper (normally not allowed in the perennial garden) cut them all back to about six inches. What is the prognosis for my guara?
Thanks for the question. I am always amazed at the adaptability of plants. I am actually shocked to hear that guara does so well up your way. I am pretty optimistic about your guara! I cut mine back almost to the ground each year. I would mulch it though, just to give it a little extra protection.
Update. My three guara died. I’m sorry they were cut back as they did super well without any cutting back. Winter was mild in Vermont, but we had one ice storm and I think my maintenance company’s salt treatment leached into the garden and killed them. Odd but possible as everything else is doing well.
I’ve cut mine back twice mid season, and they come back bigger than ever! It seems you really can’t discourage this plant!! I’m not meticulous and mine grows like a weed!!
Please help. I planted several guara in a two sunny, non-irrigated beds last year in the spring. All flourished from spring to summer. One appeared to be struggling last fall and did not survive.
This spring, I replaced the dead plant and trimmed back the old growth on the others. With the spring rains, all were thriving and blooming. I noticed about a month ago that one of the survivors was going brown. Now, all the guara plants in that bed are going brown, including the newest one.
I love them & want the two beds to match as they are on each side of the entry drive to the home. Any ideas on why they are dying?
BTW, my plants are in north central Texas.
This could be a number of things. I lost several of mine last year. The only thing I could determine was the unusually high rain amounts we received. This year we have also had higher than normal rainfall. Maybe it has been just too wet for them. While guara do well in our climate, I think they need really good drainage to survive when rainfall is plentiful like it has been the last couple of years. Other thoughts are run off from the drive way (gas, oils or antifreeze, etc. that leak from the cars) or pre-emergent herbicides. If you put pre-emergents on your lawn they usually contain atrazine. Atrazine will damage or kill woody perennials and tress. Hope this helps.
I don’t know where you live. We are in northwest arkansas. I have 3 that thrive so well I have to keep cutting them back. They are in semi-shade/sun. Get full morning sun. I use no special treatment. Never fertilize them. They are in an irrigated bed. I practically ignore them except for cutting them back because they grow so fast and really spread. If you are further north, they may not like the climate. If you have fertilized, that may be too much. They grow wild in Texas, and seem to like being left alone. I’m not an expert, but hope this helps.
Sorry! I just saw that you are in north Texas, so my comments may not apply. We’ve had a lot of rain, too, but maybe not as much as Texas. Nothing seems to kill mine! Maybe they like neglect!! 🙂
I have three Guara in a bed filed with Perennials…they all do really well…but….how can I stop them from flopping down in the middle? They are not wilted or lacking water…they are planted with several other Perennials with the same low water needs. Soil drains well so they are not being kept too wet. The are in full geogous bloom and are healthy as horses. I cut them back two or three times a year, most heavy in the Fall. Oh, they are also planted in full sun…more than eight hours a day. I live in a Mediterranean climate in Santa Clara County, Cali.
I am not sure. I have not experienced this. However, some perennials tend to die or weaken in the middle as the grow and spread out from the original center of the plant. I am guessing here so don’t take this to the bank, but it might be worth digging one up and cutting the clump into three or four clumps and replanting. I would be interested to find out if the wilting happens on the new clumps. Sorry I don’t have a definitive answer for you.
They are not wilted, even when they flop in the middle…it’s as if the blossom are so heavy they cause the stems to lay down…I guess, “laying down” in the middle is a better description. This is only their 3rd. Spring. When you look at the plants from a distance, even a small one, they look perfectly normal, it’s when you walk up and look down that the center is bare…they have just laid down in a perfect circle from the center… All three of them….I just won’t show guests….LOL….
My 3year old guara ftnally got one blossom. The plant is about 2 feet tall and looks healthy. The ends of rhe stems are red but no dancing butterflies. I cut it back in the fall and it gets lots of sun. I live in southern Illinois.
Not sure what is going on with your guara. I have not experienced anything like this. Plants respond differently in each climate zone. Because of that i would recommend you call your local extension office and see what their thoughts are.
My Guara didn’t come back, and I was heartbroken. I bought another one in late spring, and it is behaving in the same way- stems so-so in height, red buds/flowers, except for a few long stems with dancing butterflies. I live in the New York City suburbs.
Jay, do you have any information about a guara variety by the name od Dauphin? Had it years ago. the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. It disappeared from commerce and I’ve been searching for it ever since,
I don’t. However I will be happy to ask my friends and see if they can come up with something
Hi,
I planted a Guara last year & it did great. This year all looked well & while it is certainly growing (straight up & about 3 feet tall), the flowers on it are the tiniest little pink things. I mean no bigger than a couple of mm & they look nothing like the actual Guara flower. & yes. It is the same plant 😉
Any idea what’s going on?
Sorry, I have never witnessed anything like that before on Guara but I have seen something similar on one of my roses. When I researched what was going on with my rose, the best I could find was that sometimes, due to injury or stress, mutations in plants occur. However, if the flowers are just smaller that normal, and the foliage is just the same I would bet it is most likely some sign of stress and not a mutation.
Thank you. Of more oddnesses is that the babies have the same itsy bitsy flower. I am going to take a clipping into my go to “plant lady” at the local Home Depot….
I think you may have what is called in the rose world a “sport”. This is basically a genetic mutation that whas only a single change to a chromosome from the parent. This happens in roses all the time. In fact, I am growing a sport right now by my guest house and I have a rose on one of my arbors that has produced a sport. Sometimes the sport is similar to parent with only a slight modification (like the tiny flowers on yours) and sometimes it is a completely different plant
I live in SLC (zone 6) and have a number of super healthy Gaura plants. In fact, they are so healthy that they are taking over the walking path they boarder. I’m tempted to transplant them, but it’s mid July and very hot- upper 90’s and into the 100’s. Would you suggest cutting them back (to provide room for the pathway) and waiting for fall to transplant, or can I transplant now (in this heat) and if so do I have to cut them back hard, or can I leave the growth?
That is exactly what I would recommend. The pruning will not hurt the plant, and in fact, may make them re-establish more quickly after transplanting. Thanks for the question and thanks for reading!
I live in zone 8b ,my Gaura plants did so well ,they are about 4’hx4’w and all of a sudden they started dying,they never died back last winter so I’m confused about what’s going on ,we have had quite a bit of rain.
Not really sure. It is possible they got too much water but for that to happen they would have to sit in the water. If they got as big as they were then I assume they must have been in well draining soil. It is most likely a soil borne pathogen. My wife and I lost a three year old wisteria this year. One moment it was fine, then over three days it died. I have also experienced similar problems with buddleia. I live in what used to be cotton country. Because of this, I am assuming that what got my plants was cotton root rot. I am sorry you lost those large, beautiful plants. I would call extension and see what soil borne diseses are present in your area and would not plant a perennial back in that place
HELP!!!! I have a pink gaura (potted)live in Vero beach Florida. It started nicely, flowered. Now it looks like drooping grass and weeds! I want to plant in flower bed. Should I cut back?
I would. getting it in the ground will help it immensely. However, giving it a little trim will mean the roots won’t have to work so hard
Hello, my zone is 7b. This spring I planted 5 white Gaura along the path in the front (south) garden. They did really well and became big which crowded the walk way and other plants near by. About a week and a half ago, I transplanted two of them as a whole, and three of them divided into many. Now almost all of them look completely brown and dried. Does that mean they have all died? I feel so terrible and guilty about it all. My neighbors all loved them, and now I can’t even face them. I have pink ones in the back which planted last fall, and two of them I have transplanted, they are brown too but not entirely. So my question is how to tell if the plants are dead if they all are brown (should I take my chance and dig one of the small one out and see the root? Even so, then how do I tell…I’m so sorry if my question itself is rather ignorant one). My other question is, the pink ones in my back (total (5) are always just laying down all over the ground (that is why I transplanted two of them by the seat wall where they can lean, and show their natural beauty as they rather flow down, and I had to place green tomato cage around the other two of them to see if they do any better). So as of now, I still see the flowers on my pink ones that aren’t transplanted, so I know it is not the time they turn brown yet. You probably tell me to cut the brown ones back and wait for spring, if so how long do I wait considering my planting zone (which month?) because I do not miss out on getting new white Gaura plants, and crossing my fingers to find them again in Spring (as I did at Lowes). Everywhere I look it says it is best time to plant perennials in fall, and yet at most nurseries I don’t see as many of them as I would in Spring time, which I find it hard to understand. I’m rather heartbroken and a bit desperate. Thank you so much for your valuable informations here for people like me, who is rather new at gardening.
First a word or encouragement. All gardeners sometimes lose plants when they transplant. I recently lost several crepe myrtles when transplanting and I have done this a bunch. With that said, yours might not be totally dead. When you transplant a fairly large plant you want to make sure you keep as much of the root ball intact. If you did that then you may be in pretty good shape. Next, transplanted perennials should have at least half of their foliage removed when being moved. If you have not cut them back do so now. If you have any green left keep it. Another trick is not to over water once you move the plant. The soil should stay damp, but not wet. If you can pick up a handful of soil and squeeze water out of it then it is too wet. If you have done all of these things ad the plants still look completely dead, scrap the bark back on a few stems. If you detect moisture in the bark or under it you still have a chance that the plant will come back from the roots in the spring. Mulch it well to protect the new roots from freeze and pray for a mild winter. If the bark is hard try breaking a few stems. if the stem breaks easily in several places then the plant is most likely dead.
First of all, let me apologize for the late reply to your most kind instruction/help (I’ve been under the weather). I just followed everything you’d asked here, and exception of a few, I saw the sign of life on my White Gauras. They mostly had a little bit of green leaves at the very bottom (not on every stems but here and there), and when I peel some bottom branches with no greens still they were wet. I did cut back all the brown stalks leaving only about a few inches.
For 7b zone, should I still cover them with mulch during the winter to be safe? And also why do you think some of my pink Gauras in the back are laying down on the ground, too much water perhaps? Lastly, by when (what month) should I see them growing back, still basically want to know how long do I wait in Spring.
Thank you for the word of encouragement as well.
That is good news. I would mulch as heavily as is appropriate. No more than 6″ though. I believe your last freeze date is April 15. By May 15, at the latest, you should know if they survived the winter. As for your pinks, it could be over watering. Guara is a native of the southwest. As such it is designed to live on lower amounts of moisture. I would not water more than once a week in your location.
Thank you for your precise/detailed information.
Hi, I live in sub tropical Queensland Australia – I previously lived in wine growing district in NSW & had Gaura which thrived! I just planted 10 gaura up here & they are struggling! Dying one by one! Clay soil which I added commercial compost & cow manure to – & seaweed fertiliser – but all the leaves are stripped & they are dying – I might have over watered? Can I save them? Help! I really love these plants…. Judith
You could have over watered. It could also be some other type of shock like an unexpected cold snap. If they lose all of the leaves I am not certain they will comeback. When things like this happen to me I always err on the side of caution. if it looks like the plant dies, leave it for at least a month. Sometimes they come back. Also, do not add any more fertilizer until they settle in. The compost in the soil is fine but no more supplemental feeding. When a plant is becoming established it only needs water to develop all of the little white roots that anchor it to the soil. Sorry I don’t have better news.
Thanks for your prompt reply – much appreciated. I will follow your advice.