Illustration
Gaura
Oenothera lindheimeri
Also comes in white.
Gaura blooms from June through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Gaura
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Gaura. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Gaura
Plant Gaura in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Gaura get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Gaura in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Gaura
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Gaura about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Gaura to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Gaura's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on July 31, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- asu.eduArizona State University, Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Proven WinnersSTRATOSPHERE WHITE Oenothera lindheimeri 'Gautalwhi'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- devilmountainnursery.comDevil Mountain Wholesale Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- mswn.comMountain States Wholesale Nursery, Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterf...height, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun and years to mature size
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horti...height, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Information profilehardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterNative Plant Databaseheight, sun and trait tags
- Swallowtail Garden Seedssun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Gaura
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Poor soil is the secret. Rich or wet ground is the main cause of flopping, weak flowering, and root rot, so lean, sharply drained soil keeps it sturdy. per NC State and Wisconsin
Low water or medium?
US extension guides call it low-water; two botanic gardens say medium. The difference is the first season: water regularly to establish, then it is strongly drought-tolerant. per NC State and Clemson
Bloom timing shifts by region
One source gives April to July, another August to October, and extension guides say early summer to first frost. The plant simply blooms for months, shifting with your region. per NC State and Wisconsin
Do not divide it
The deep woody taproot resents division and transplanting, and plants can be short-lived. Keep a patch going from self-sown seedlings or by replacing plants instead. per Wisconsin and NC State
Bees, not butterflies
Despite the name Whirling Butterflies, the main visitors are long-tongued bees and bumblebees; butterflies are only occasional. It is also a host plant for the white-lined sphinx moth. per NC State and Wisconsin
Deer resistant, not proof
Deer usually pass it by, but resistance is not absolute: one botanic source rates it only moderate, so hungry deer may still sample it. per NC State and Wisconsin
Self-sows readily
It readily self-sows in favorable conditions. Leaving spent flower stems standing into fall increases reseeding; cutting them back reduces it. Seedlings are the easy way to renew a patch. per Wisconsin and Missouri Botanical Garden
What pairs well with Gaura
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 20 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Viburnum
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 6.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.