Gaura 'The Bride' Seeds
If you want to bring your garden to life, you need Gaura. 'The Bride' is a graceful, airy perennial that produces hundreds of starry white flowers on tall, slender, arching stems. The slightest breeze sets the whole plant in motion, creating the illusion of a cloud of white butterflies dancing over your border.
This is the ultimate "weaver" plant. Because the foliage is low and the flower stems are thin and transparent, you can plant it anywhere—even right at the front of a border—without blocking the view. It flowers tirelessly from early summer right through to the first frosts, adding lightness, elegance, and movement to any planting scheme.
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🌿 Understanding the Plant
Gaura (now botanically reclassified as Oenothera lindheimeri) is a **Hardy Perennial**.
The Taproot Factor: It sends down a long taproot, which makes it incredibly drought tolerant once established. However, this taproot hates sitting in cold, wet clay in winter. If you have heavy soil, add grit to the planting hole or grow it in a pot.
Top Tip: Don't cut it back too early! The wiry stems look beautiful covered in frost. Cut them back to the ground in early spring when new growth appears at the base.
🌱 Growing Guide: How to Sow and Grow
Gaura grows easily from seed but needs warmth and light to start.
Germination:
Sow indoors from February to April. Surface sow onto moist compost and cover with a very fine dusting of vermiculite (they need light to germinate). Keep warm (approx 20°C). Germination takes 14-21 days.
Where to Sow:
They demand full sun. They thrive in light, sandy, or free-draining soil. They are perfect for gravel gardens, south-facing borders, or large containers.
Care While Growing:
The "Chelsea Chop": To keep the plant more compact and delay flowering slightly, you can cut the stems back by a third in late May. This encourages a bushier habit and even more flowers later in the season.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Latin Name | Oenothera lindheimeri (syn. Gaura) |
| Common Name | Gaura 'The Bride' |
| Hardiness | H4 (Hardy through most UK winters) |
| Light Required | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | ↕️ 90cm - 120cm (Tall & Airy) |
| Spread | ↔️ 60cm |
| Spacing | 🌱 45cm apart |
| Great for | 🌬️ Movement 🦋 Pollinators 🏺 Containers 🏜️ Drought Tolerance |
| Seed Count | Approx. 20 seeds per packet |
🤝 Perfect Garden Companions
Gaura is a social plant that looks best weaving through others. Try these pairings:
- 💜 Verbena Bonariensis: The Airy Duo. Both plants have thin, "invisible" stems and float above the border. The purple of the Verbena and the white of 'The Bride' create a classic, sophisticated, pollinator-friendly display.
- 🌸 Echinacea 'Bravado': Solid vs. Airy. The bold, solid daisy shape of the Echinacea provides a visual anchor for the wandering, dancing stems of the Gaura.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow indoors in spring. Flowers early summer to late autumn.
| Month | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow Indoors | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | |||||||||
| Flowers (Yr 1+) | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 | 🌸 |
🏆 Officially Recognised Excellence
Gaura 'The Bride' is a winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), confirming it is a reliable, disease-resistant, and superior performing plant for British gardens.
- Regular price
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£2.70 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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£2.70
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