Exceptionally pretty bushy perennials, producing masses of flowers, on tall slender stems, creating an airy effect in the border. The flowers have four unequal sized petals, often narrow, white through to pink. Gauras hail from North America, from dry rocky places, so need a light soil and full sun to thrive in British gardens. Excessive wet may cause the plant to rot off. In late autumn, early winter, cut plants down by a third to half (helping protect the plants from frost) and then again cut further down in spring when new growth has restarted.
Providing a summer-long display of nectar-rich flowers in a dry garden, the Gaura species attract bees, butterflies and (in their native lands) hummingbirds.
All Gaura plants have been renamed under Oenothera.