Gaura Emmeline Pink
Notify MeGaura flowers look like small moths hovering on thin stems, which is where the name butterfly bush comes from in some places. 'Emmeline Pink Bouquet' opens from deep pink buds to pale pink four-petalled flowers that deepen again as they age, so a plant carries several shades at once. Stems and narrow leaves take on red and mahogany tints. Flowering runs December to April.
The airy habit is what makes it useful. Plant it where it can wave through firmer plants, along a path edge, in a gravel garden, or in a pot where the movement shows. This is a more compact selection than the older gauras, so it holds together better in a small garden and does not need staking. Bees work it constantly.
Full sun and free-draining soil are essential. Gaura grows from a deep taproot, which gives it good drought tolerance but also means it dislikes being moved or divided, so plant it once and leave it. It is a short-lived perennial by nature, usually two to four good years, and it goes fastest in heavy soil that stays wet over winter.
Makes a bushy plant around 0.5 to 0.6 m tall and 0.5 m across.
Trimming: Cut the whole plant back by about half in late winter, before new growth starts, to keep it compact. A light shear in midsummer removes spent stems and brings on a fresh wave of flower through autumn.
Deadheading: Individual flowers drop cleanly and do not need removing. Shearing whole spent stems is the practical version of deadheading on this plant.
Fertilising: Feed sparingly. A light general fertiliser in early spring is plenty, and richer feeding produces soft growth that splays open and shortens the plant's life.
Watering: Water through the first summer while the taproot goes down, then only in prolonged dry weather. Winter wet is the real danger, not summer dryness.
Pest Control: Aphids on new growth and spider mites in hot dry spells are the two to watch. Both are manageable with a hose or horticultural oil.
Disease Management: Root and crown rot in poorly drained soil is the usual cause of losses, so plant on a rise in clay. Powdery mildew can appear late in humid conditions where air movement is poor.
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For orders below $250, the following flat-rate delivery charges are applicable:
- Urban delivery within mainland New Zealand: $19.95
- Rural delivery within mainland New Zealand: $39.95
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