attracting hummingbirds |

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?

Hummingbird migration season is upon us. Because of this, we have so many ruby throated and black chinned hummers in our yard that my wife is filling our two feeders everyday. While the hummers seem to appreciate the sugar syrup that she makes for them, they always head first to the only thing that is still really blooming in my garden; cypress vine.

Cypress vine flowers on my potager fence. Photo by Ramez Antoun

Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is a member of the morning glory family and as such grows very well in our hot Texas summers. It is a tropical plant that is native to Mexico and Central America. It is a lovely vining plant that can grow 20 feet or more in a single season. Cypress Vine has loose, feathery foliage that is covered with hundreds of tiny, tubular flowers. The star shaped flowers can range in color from deep red to almost white and they are irresistible to butterflies and hummingbirds. Other common names for this plant include Hummingbird Flower, Star Glory, and Cardinal Plant.

Cypress vine is very easy to grow. Start seeds when the soil has warmed up to around 70 degrees. It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade. Cypress Vine likes to be kept in moist, rich, well drained soils but it will grow in just about any type of soil and will tolerate some dry periods. Cypress Vine is a quick grower and can produce blooms in as little as 45 days. You can fertilize with a high phosphorus fertilizer right before the first bloom to enhance its flowering. Cypress vine readily reseeds itself so once established you will be able to enjoy this plant year after year.

Cypress Vine on the arbor

Because of its vining habit, Cypress Vine needs support. I planted mine against the western fence of my potager. This fence has an arbor over the gate and I wanted it to spread over both of these structures. All of the growth you see in these pictures came from two vines.

Unmanaged, Cypress vine will grow in and over anything that is in its way. Since mine is on a fence, I trained it to grow up and out toward the arbor. This kept most of the runners in check. Some runners did grow down into my daylilies but I simply pulled them off. The plant did not seem to mind one bit. Cypress vine is also an aggressive self seeding annual. All of those lovely flowers produce tons of little black seeds. So, if you plant Cypress Vine, be prepared to have lots of it in years two and three.

All of this from two vines in the first season!

Cypress Vine is a very lovely and very hearty plant that thrives in our climate. It is easy to grow and looks great on a fence, trellis or arbor. This self seeding annual is relatively disease and pest free and will provide you with a flush of blooms from May through late fall. If you can tolerate its aggressive growth habit it will reward you with a beautiful late summer garden full of butterflies and hummingbirds.

*This article was published in the September issue of “Hort Update” (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2010/sep/)