Gaura is a new addition to my Georgia Garden this year. I picked up two healthy looking plants from Wally World as they caught my eye. Tina talked about Gaura a while back as to how large the roots became on one of her plants. Click Here to see it if you missed it.
I am not much into researching plants. I take the approach of spotting something I think is pretty neat, read the tag and then put it into the ground and see what happens. I know some of you are cringing now but Gardening is a hobby of mine and this is the way I take my hobby. Not as seriously as some may but it works for me. My grandmother is probably "rolling in her grave" at me saying that. (that is a southern term so don't take me seriously okay lol) After going back and reading Tina's post on her massive roots, I think that maybe I did at least plant my Gaura in the correct place. In this spot I think it may have plenty of room to grow. We will see in time. I only picked up two Gauras. This first one you see is "Snow Fountain" and a bit smaller in size to the second one. I have them planted in full sun and they seem to be growing well for now.
This second one I have is called "Passionate Rainbow" and a beauty she is!
Look at those beautiful bright pink blooms! The tag tells me they attract hummingbirds and butterflies. And we all know how I love my flying flowers!
I'm really enjoying these new additions to my garden and hope they thrive in time. 
The tag also tells me they should bloom from summer to fall but these pretty much bloomed until late spring only. Hum, maybe they will have a second blooming cycle. I will keep my eye on them and see just what they do as the days pass us by.
As you can see the pink one on the left has more then doubled in size from the first picture! I have lost some of my new additions to soggy conditions in the spring but these guys are doing well thus far. I hope I do not loose the GAURA, In the Garden...
We planted two of these this year as well. One is almost 5 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. They don't seem to take a lot of water or wind very well. I'm just watching mine too.
ReplyDeleteI had white ones at a previous house and they were glorious. The pink ones didn't do well here and something (bunny or deer?) kept eating them, so I finally shovel-pruned them to make room for critter resistant plants. I love gaura and was so disappointed to not be able to grow them out in the butterfly garden.
ReplyDeleteCameron
I buy what I like too, sure I could probably do more research, but that's not what I enjoy doing! I love guaras, through, the flowers are so delicate!
ReplyDeleteHi Skeeter, I have a couple Gaura, last year it was three in the grouping. I had decided to put them in a container with the thought that they would fill the container with their wispy stems. Not happy with the look this year, one died and the other two are really struggling. I have seen some plantings of them in a long row that is really pretty.
ReplyDeleteEven if they don't bloom the whole time the foliage is pretty interesting. We added one near the arbor area and it has really taken off. It likes the sun!
ReplyDeleteNice two new addition! I have a similar dog, mine is golden retriever, it came with motion sensor, a fun toy in the garden.
ReplyDeleteGood morning! I was just looking at this pink gaura at Wal-mart last night. I thought it was most pretty-much nicer than the white one. I didn't even think it was gaura until I read the tag. They are really pretty plants for sure and look great in your garden. The one I transplanted with those huge roots came back! I did not expect it too. I think you have plenty of room-the dog is cute too. Nice and quiet I am sure:)
ReplyDeleteI'm also growing guara the first time this year--one is orange and past bloom and one is pink and looks like yours (sorry, plant tags are downstairs and I'm lazy!). I do love them so far! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a real pretty plant, I'll have to keep my eyes on the peel for it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful plants, Skeeter. Don't know if it would survive here as we are either too wet or too dry. Still too wet even now with all the rain.
ReplyDeleteHi All,
Hope your day is progressing as you wish. Enjoy.
It sure has a great looking bloom!!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning everyone! I am happy today as we got a half inch of rain yesterday! It’s about time but wish we had more. Lower humidity so all the windows are open giving us some fresh air in the house. Cats are running from window to window checking out the smells in the air. The Saint is not feeling too well and with the yard being a bit soggy today, I think it will be a relaxing do nothing day for us. I had fun watching a “Ma and Pa Kettle” movie Marathon last night on the Classic Channel. They were a hoot to say the least….
ReplyDeleteDarla, Wow, you have a big gaura and much larger then mine! I think there is plenty of room for mine to grow so if they want to take off, they can. Well, if they don’t take too much water, that should not be an issue in this yard as we seem to be a dry place for a gardener. But we do get soggy conditions in the spring and winter. Arg, if only we had perfect years with an inch of rain each week. Wishful thinking on my part.
Cameron, I bet you do miss your gaura in the butterfly garden. Sigh, those deer and rabbits keep me on my toes and I know you have the same issues. So far, (fingers crossed) they have not touched these but there is always tomorrow as I know this well. Some things may sit idle for years then one day all munched to the ground!
Lzyjo, Ah, I am not the only one that plants then in time see what happens. lol, I fall for some things in the garden center due to their foliage. I do read the tags though to find a bit of info but nothing more. Trial and error for me as not everything grows as the info reports...
Janet, sorry you lost a gaura. I wonder what happened? Hum... If I had known how well these would have done for me, I would have gotten more to plant along the front of the flower garden which is where these are planted. I did not think to snap a far view of them in the garden. A row would be pretty separating the garden from the grass and so full of color too. Maybe I will add more next year if I find them again...
Dave, This is a perfect addition to your arbor collection! The pink one seems to be taking off more so then the white one. I hope in time they intermingle with each other for some real pretty pink and white mixture's of color! I like it when plants do that giving us such a show...
Vuejardin, This doggie is a blond lab I think. A friend gave it to me as a birthday gift several years ago. The light he is holding comes on at night as it is solar. I expected it to work for one season then not but did not care as it looks nice even if the light did not work. but the thing still comes on each evening for me. I think it is nice touch of whimsy in this area...
Tina, I found these in spring and was so excited about them! I have never seen them at Wally World before but they were so healthy, pretty and lush that I went for it. I had no idea how well they would take to my garden or I would have picked up more then these two! They were full of blooms and I hope in time, they will become larger and fuller. I may have to move the doggie but he dont mind as I have moved him several times before. This is one guard dog that does not bark or dig in the garden. lol. You have such a touch at moving things from spot to spot. If I do that, I usually loose it but with dry conditions such as we are known for, well, I guess that will happen...
Monica, Since I have not done any research on the gauras I did not know there were colors of orange! Wow, I will keep my eyes out for that as I love orange in the garden! They are growing nicely for me thus far so hopefully, this will be around for a long time...
Dawn, They are pretty plants aren’t they? I had never heard of them until seeing Tina's on the blog. I am sure I saw them in a garden but did not know what they were. That happens to me often lol. I hope to add more gaura to my garden since these are doing so well for me now. Keep your eyes peeled as they are pretty additions to the garden...
Lola, how are your eyes doing? I hope all is healing well for you. I know what you mean about the soil conditions. It is the same way in our yard. Either too wet or too dry. No happy medium as I would like for it to be. We finally had a half inch of rain last night! We had lots of wind also which has left the yard with twigs and the such. Arg, but it will stay where it is today as we are not getting out in the damp yard. The tags says these make good container plants as well, but Janet says she did not like the look of it this year. But maybe started as a new plant it would do better...
ReplyDeleteJean, The blooms are beautiful and so attractive to the hummingbirds and butterflies! I have not sat in the garden to enjoy the flying flowers much as the bugs are really bad this year. I dont like to be munched on while in the garden. lol...
your pet is so sweet !!!
ReplyDeleteherzlich Kathrin
Gaura is such a pretty plant. I bet it will bloom longer next year, they do have a long bloom time. I have a white one and I can't believe how big it's gotten in a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteI love these plants! I'm growing an unidentified variety (purchased at Lowe's) that is so airy and light, it looks like it would just fly away. The blooms bob up and down with the slightest breeze. They start out pink and then fade to white. Skeeter, I like your approach to gardening. If it looks pretty and isn't too expensive, I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThat Passionate Rainbow is gorgeous!!! If I was a hummer or butterfly I would definetly be flying to that beauty! :)
ReplyDeleteI picked up 'Pink Fountain' at Lowe's this month and it loves the dry sunny spot where I planted it. Your white one is pretty too. I'll have to add more of these to the wishlist this fall. They really do tolerate our summer weather nicely.
ReplyDeleteTina, I take the same approach to gardening as you do. I buy a plant because I like it, then try to place it where I think it will survive. I have had to move a few of my plants but that is no big deal.
ReplyDeleteI love that Gaura, it is lovely!
ReplyDeleteI managed to kill mine, Haven't bought another one in a while. It may be worth a second try!
Rosey
Good Evening everyone! Can you believe we have had the windows to the house open all day long? It is the middle of July in the Deep South and that is so not heard of around here! Too bad the Saint was not feeling well as it would have been a perfect day for the lake… Sigh…
ReplyDeleteKathrin, Guten Tag! This is the best pet of all to have in a garden. lol, Low maintenance and no digging holes for me to cover up...
Catherine, You should add another gaura with a different color next year! They are pretty as can be and I have enjoyed these two. I am anxious to see how big they will be for me next year and hopefully, longer bloom time as well...
Walk2write, I guess some would say I am a bit of a lazy gardener with not researching. lol, but I find the element of surprise most rewarding, well, that is when a purchase thrives for me. Not a good surprise when it dies on me with the wrong conditions. Oh well, “such is life” I guess...Ugh, that is kind of a deep statement to think about now isnt it? :-)
Meadowview thymes, Oh wouldn’t it be fun to be a fluttering butterfly for just a few minutes? Not sure I would want to be one for longer as a cat might jump up and snatch me out of the air. lol, One of my favorite butterflies, the Gulf Fritillary are now showing up in the garden. They are so pretty...
Raquel, Pink Fountain sounds like a pretty gaura! The blooms do resemble a fountain of sorts. The weather has been perfect for these two and I hope to add more as I find them. I would like to start a collection getting different colors. I am bad about getting several of the same color and that can be a bit boring so I need to expand my horizons lol...
Keewee, Skeeter here, posting today while Tina takes the weekend off. We do confuse at times and sorry for that. I am more of a hobbyist in the garden then perfectionist I guess. I am with you, see it, like it, get it! I have many things to deal with, drought season, voles, deer and rabbits but I still enjoy playing in the yard with those obstacles in my life. Kind of keeps me a moving :-)
Rosey, I am sorry you lost your gaura, sniff sniff. It is always sad to loose a plant in the garden. I was lucky with these two as they seem to have been placed in the perfect spot. I hope they survive the remainder of the season as the conditions can be a bit harsh this time of year in GA...
ReplyDeleteHi Skeeter and Tina -thank you for the crepe advice with beetles:0) Just got in from Huntsville Botanical Gardens -WOW!!!! Very beautiful and perfect weather to be there -about 80 degrees and sunny. I tried to take pics -Girl Model took a ton -not sure how they will turn out:0) Holding Lil Bundle so I better go -have a lovely evening everyone, ciao.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, Same here too! What a treat for everyone!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, I hope the Saint is feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, I hope The Saint feels much better fast. Lousy time of yr. to not feel good.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes are healing nicely. Cornea still swollen a bit. Vision not clear yet. Will take time. Not much time on puter as it hurts my eye.
Glad you had some nice weather. It's nice to open your windows & air the house out. Not here--too hot & humid.
skeeter, I too like to just grab plants, put them in and see how they do. I know it breaks about a million garden rules, but it is how I roll. Sounds like we would get along well. Your flowers look great. Love the dog.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, A Botanical Garden tour would have been a perfect treat for this wonderful weather! I usually dont go Garden Touring this time of year due to the heat and humidity. I bet the kiddos had a great time looking for bugs in the garden! Girl Model may be a photographer in the makings here! Enjoy today as it is to be a nice one as well...
ReplyDeleteTina, Saint has been doing a lot of sleeping and that is his best medicine. I made him homemade chicken noodle soup and I think that helped him also. He still has an appetite so I dont think it is the Swine Flu that is on Ft. Gordon. Thank goodness for that. He will survive but not the best time for him to get sick. Sigh, Weather is too nice to be sick!
Lola, The Saint could not have picked a worse time to be sick. Urg, it is so nice outside and we cannot get out and play together in it. Sniff sniff. But we dont get to chose when we will get a bug in our body. If the computer hurts your eyes, you stay off of it! You need to take care of yourself and get those eyes back to clear vision!
Teresa, Thanks for stopping by! Yep, we would get along well together in the garden. hee hee, I have always been a bit of a rule breaker where the garden was concerned. :-) This dog is the best kind to have in the garden where their digging is concerned. When a real critter is not around, I talk to him as well as the cat statue and alligator. LOL. Thank goodness there is usually a bird, butterfly or bee to talk to as my neighbors would think I am way too crazy talking to the statues in the garden! LOL…
I've seen this growing on several other blogs, but I don't have one myself. I do like those pink blooms, so this may have to be another addition to my "plant wish list." Don't feel bad about not researching plants, Skeeter. Gardening is a hobby for me, too. I've learned a lot through experience and also through reading garden blogs this past year. Don't throw a Latin name at me, because I probably won't recognize it:)
ReplyDeleteRose, I had to laugh at you saying dont throw a Latin name at me. I am the same way, I have no idea what anything is by its Latin name. lol, I do well to remember the common names of the new items I add to the garden. I do hope you add a gaura to your garden. They are pretty and attract so much activity as well. Even though learning through the blogs, I may add something to my garden which is wonderful in others only to find it will croak in my garden. Strange how that happens when others have such luck. I think sometimes the soil must be perfect for certain things. Oh well, if one thing dies, then that gives me room to try something else! Ah, the positive thinker I am. hee hee..
ReplyDeleteI planted some Gaura because it was "stratospheres" which was an old nickname. They are not the most dynamic flower in my garden, but are lovely.
ReplyDeleteWayne, this is my first time growing Gaura and thus far, pleased with it. I noticed today while in the garden that it is blooming again!
ReplyDelete