Gaura

Oenothera lindheimeri

Hills guide picknative · Central Texas

Gaura is a perennial native to Central Texas that grows 2–3 ft tall and 3 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white and pink in Apr–Jul. Good for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and moths.

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Airy perennial with wiry stems carrying small white-to-pink flowers that flutter in the slightest breeze.

Why it works here

Long bloom season, drought tolerance, and a lightness of texture that few natives provide.

Watch out

Flops in rich or irrigated soil. Shear it back midsummer. Short-lived but reseeds.

The facts

6 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 2–3 ft
Spread: 3 ft
Bloom: Apr–Jul · white, pink
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on calcareous, clay, loam, moist, sand
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Flower stalks nipped; the crown survives.
Wildlife: Supports bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and moths

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Floodplains and Low Terraces

39 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

In the Village of the Hills guide, but not on the grower stock lists we read yet. Ask a native-plant nursery.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.