Gaura 'Crimson Butterflies' PP#13,189

The blooms begin in mid-spring, arising on 8-inch stems of bright red. They open gradually, giving you fresh color for many, many weeks. The heaviest bloom is in late spring, but the flowers continue through summer and even into fall.

Growing just 18 to 24 inches tall and spreading just as wide, 'Crimson Butterflies' makes a nice edging or border standout. It remains attractive even when not in bloom, with evergreen foliage in the warmer portions of its hardiness range. Compact and vigorous, it always looks lush!

A hardy perennial native to Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico, Gaura is ideal for warm-weather climates, and 'Crimson Butterflies' tolerates drought, heat, humidity, and even shallow soil, making it ideal for the xeriscapic garden (though it flowers best, of course, when given adequate moisture). Hardy all the way through south Florida, its rich foliage drinks in the sun, turning darker as the heat increases!

'Crimson Butterflies' is one in a series bred by Howard Bentley of Australia. It is an offspring of the renowned 'Siskiyou Pink,' but easily outperforms its famous parent in compact stature, quantity of flowers, and length of bloom.

Space plants 12 to 24 inches apart in just about any well-drained garden soil exposed to full sun. Zones 5-10.