Imagine, if you would, a garden filled with tiny white and pink butterflies dancing and fluttering over the rest of the plants?  That image, of whirling butterflies, is the nickname for a reliable, drought tolerant plant that is thriving in my garden:  Gaura.  This North American wildflower had been left to grow in its wild, natural state in Texas until the 1980's, when the cultivar ‘Siskiyou Pink' was developed.  Since then, several additional varieties have emerged as popular choices for the home gardener interested in easy-care, pretty, flowering plants.

The gaura has a compact, clump-forming growth habit, with moderate growth to 2 to 3 feet tall.  It will reliably bloom from mid-spring through summer, with wiry arching stems, delicate pink or white flowers blooming along those stems, only a few at a time. In our mild-winter area of California, the gaura will appreciate being cut back for the winter, and will thank you by giving an even prettier display of dancing “butterflies” the following spring.  This favorite of gardeners will appreciate full sun, and good drainage, and is not often attacked by insects or diseases.  It develops a long taproot, which helps it to be drought-tolerant, but also means it does not like to be moved from place to place.  An extra bonus is that this beautiful hard-working plant will also attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.

In my search for pretty gauras for my garden, I visited our lovely local garden shop, Morningsun Herb Farm, on Pleasants Valley Road on the west side of Vacaville.  If you have never stopped there, and you love all things gardening, you will enjoy your visit!  The varieties of gaura I selected are ‘Indian Feather', ‘Ballerina Pink', and ‘Siskiyou Pink'. My photos will hopefully give you an idea of the delicate stems and leaves, and the beauty of these tiny 1”dancing flowers.