![](https://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/gaura-marie-viljoen-376x400.jpg)
![](https://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/gaura-marie-viljoen-376x400.jpg)
Flowering perennial gaura needs full sun plenty of room for its long, wispy stems topped by delicate white or pink flowers that twirl in a breeze. With well-draining, sandy soil, gaura reqiures nothing more than full sun to thrive.
Dancing pinkish-white whirly gigs on the end of long, slender stalks pretty much sums it up. Gaura is a low-maintenance perennial wildflower that will fill a garden with life from spring through early autumn.
“Combine gaura with other low-water perennials such as coneflower, ornamental grasses, and yarrow in a wildflower garden. Gaura also moves and sways sweetly, so consider adding it to coastal gardens where the wind is appreciated,” writes contributor Kier Holmes.
Some of our favorite cultivars of G. lindheimeri include compact ‘Whirling Butterflies’, with pink buds that open to white flowers and ‘Siskiyou Pink’, with rosy flowers on wispy stems. See more in Gardening 101: Gaura.
Give gaura full sun and well-draining soil—and shear it back when it starts to look too leggy.