A loose, airy perennial that sends up long, wiry stems of small pink or white flowers that seem to float above the plant. People choose it for movement and softness, and it handles Phoenix heat on modest water.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide. Gaura is drought tolerant once established but blooms more with moderate water. Too much water or rich soil makes it floppy and leggy, and soil that stays wet can rot the roots.
Pruning
Snip spent flower stems to keep it tidy, push more bloom and limit reseeding. If it sprawls by midsummer, cut it back by about half; it regrows and reblooms within a few weeks. Clear old stems in winter.
Heat
In the hottest reflected spots it can look tired by late summer. A little afternoon shade keeps it fresher.
Reseeding
Most plants self-sow. Seedlings are easy to pull, and they quietly replace older plants that fade out.
How our designers use it
Movement
The thin flower wands sway in the slightest breeze, which softens boulders, walls and the stiff forms of agaves and yuccas.
Perennial borders
Our designers like it drifted with salvias, penstemons and desert marigold for a long, layered season of color.
Butterfly gardens
The open flowers draw butterflies and other pollinators through the warm months.
Good to know
Around the pool
No thorns, sap or fruit, and litter is light. Pollinators visit the flowers, so it sits better a step back from seating and steps.
