Family Onagraceae
Originating from S. USA.
- Elegant bright-white flowers burst in profusion from pink-tinted buds from spring to autumn.
- Swaying slender pink-flushed stems have a fine grass-like effect.
- An easy-to-grow medium-height herbaceous perennial for full sun.
Whirling Butterflies in Your Garden
Endless clouds of elegant, pure white butterfly-like blooms dance on slender stems. Airy and suffused with smouldering pink, they appear from spring right through to autumn in great profusion. The dusky-pink stems and buds of this abundant white summer perennial suffuse the clump with burgundy tones.
It forms a dense clump reaching 80cm high and 50cm wide in 2–5 years and is hardy in southern and coastal UK gardens. Elsewhere it benefits from a winter mulch of straw. Alternatively, grow in a pot and return to a frost-free winter environment. Few plants have such a bold floriferous impact that is adaptable to any style of garden.
In Suffolk’s sunbaked seaside gardens it fits effortlessly into Mediterranean and gravel garden planting schemes. Its blousy blooms look perfect amongst cottage garden plants in Norfolk’s traditional English gardens. Alternatively, it can be used for formal mass plantings and even loose, low hedges.
Growing Tips for Your ‘Whirling Butterflies’ Gaura, Apple Blossom Grass
- Soil and Sun: Plant in well-drained, poor soil; full sun is best.
- Planting: Set in spring or autumn; summer planting requires extra attention to watering. Plunge for 20 minutes to drench the root ball before planting. Do not add compost or improvers to soil.
- Watering: Moderate; tolerates drought once rooted, water sparingly once established.
- Pruning: Cut back dead foliage in late winter.
Probably the best, easy-to-grow abundant white summer perennial of all. Its abundance of blooms and length of flowering season is unrivalled. The burgundy tints of its stems and buds give its clumps a unique overall colour and enhance its white flowers. Its drought tolerance and attractiveness to pollinators make this a must-have plant.
Planting Ideas for Oenothera ‘Whirling Butterflies’, syn. Gaura
Go all out for pure brilliance, be inspired by Vita Sackville-West’s white garden at Sissinghurst Castle. Use large groups of ‘Whirling Butterflies’ to border paths running under pergolas festooned with white blooms. Wisteria ‘Shiro-noda’, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Solanum laxum ‘Album’, Passiflora ‘Snow Queen’, and Clematis ‘Ninon’ are given a stunning low-level accompaniment.
Create a cool, calming sea of soft and abundant frothy blossom. Chill on the hottest summer’s day amongst Agapanthus ‘Headbourne Hybrids’, ‘Albus’, ‘Queen Mum’, and ‘Twister’. Add Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Buddleja salvifolia, Ceanothus ‘Autumnal Blue’, and Salvia ‘Mrs Jessop’s Upright’ for a shrubby framework. Pittosporum ‘Wrinkled Blue’, Pinus ‘Cesarini Blue’, Eucalyptus ‘Azura’, and Abies ‘Bizarro’ add an enclosing structural mass of silvery evergreen foliage.
