Gaura Belleza Dark Pink: What Makes It A Gardener’s Favorite?
Gardeners fondly describe this beauty as “Wand Flower,” “Butterfly Flower” or “Butterfly Bush” and is a favorite when it comes to planting in containers or landscapes. I see that the dark pink hue of a flower is attractive enough to grace my front yard and the view from my patio. Yet, there must be more to it than I know.
What makes this Gaura Belleza Dark Pink more interesting?
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Characteristics: Gaura Belleza Dark Pink
Gaura is a native North American wildflower. This plant will not survive the winter, but you will be surprised to see them anywhere for the rest of the year. However, the tap-rooted plant blooms abundantly every early summer and early fall.
The warm, dark pink, star-shaped, 5-petals flowers with long protruding antlers have short stems but sturdy branches. It has a clumping, upright blossom with green foliage. To describe, the leaves are lobed and narrow. This plant grows 2-3 feet tall and 18” wide when it fully matures.
Gaura Belleza loves sun exposure. Hence, look for a nook that exposes the plant to the sun’s heat. In fact, the plant is drought tolerant, making it a perfect choice for gardeners who don’t have enough time to water their garden.
Once it starts to bloom, it produces nectar-rich pink flowers that butterflies and bees love to feast. It attracts hummingbirds too. Surely, this plant is worth to keep. With its fast growth rate, it will make a great plant companion.
Planting Gaura Belleza Dark Pink
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Because of its short stems, Gaura Belleza is an ideal plant in small pots preferably 12” deep and 10” wide for enough space. It’s also perfect placing it together (preferably 15”apart) in one spot during redesigning. You will find this plant along with other perennials in the mass plantation, not only in containers but also in clusters on the ground.
I suggest planting it between other hostas. The free bunches of flowers and its cheery presence offers a chance for spectators to see the beauty of other plants behind. The dark pink flowers provide movement as it sways in the breeze, resembling flying butterflies.
Some Ideas on where you can place Gaura Belleza:
Grow Gaura Belleza in fertile, moist but well-drained soil under the sun. It’s not choosy on the kind of soil, but loam and sandy are highly recommended. Nevertheless, it grows best on dry ground.
Therefore, these flowers are often in areas with dry and hot landscapes. Make sure to plant it along with other sun lover hostas. Take note that when you place Gaura Belleza in shady areas, the flower stems will wilt and become too thin.
Gaura Maintenance
What Makes Gaura Belleza A Gardener’s Favorite?
What is so amazing with this plant that it ranks high for landscapers and gardeners? Here are the reasons why a gardener chooses a Gaura Belleza for their garden and why you should have one too.
- Beauty: The dark pink flowers are gorgeous especially when it blooms together with other bunches of Wand Flowers.
- Heat tolerance and longevity: The plant needs less maintenance and is famous to be long-lived. It tolerates drought, heat, and humidity.
- Do you know that this Gaura Belleza is rabbit/deer resistant? It is generally pests and disease free! Any gardener would love that. (May you like: Homemade Deer Repellent For Hostas: How To Make Your Own?)
- It is a bee and butterfly magnet. These insects do more good in a home’s garden than harm.
- Offers versatility to the growers and gardeners. Use the plant for container, border and mass plantation.
Gaura Problems Pests and Diseases
- Gaura Belleza Dark Pink has fewer disease problems and insect or animal infestation. Although Japanese beetles and some caterpillars may find it their favorite nook, these are just controllable. Aphids, leaf miner and mites are predominant in eating the developing tips of the fresh roots.
- The primary issue that gardeners neglect is the condition of the soil. Poorly drained soils will rot the roots leading to the plant’s death.
- You may also notice dark-colored purple spots on the leaves when the weather is cold. It must not worry you since it is just a natural reaction to temperature and will eventually lessen as the climate changes.
How To Propagate Your Gaura Plants
1. propagating from stem cuttings
The simplest way to propagate your gaura plants is by taking stem cuttings.
The best time to take the cutting is in the spring between March and April before they bloom; summer through fall will also work, but you should take it after they flower.
You can root them from stems that have been harvested from pruning. Apply rooting powder to the cuttings and then place them in a pot of moistened potting soil.
Cover the cuttings with plastic wrap to keep the humidity high, and change the water every couple of days. You should see growth within a few weeks, at which time you can remove the plastic wrap.
The plants will be small at first but should grow to full size in several months. Once they have reached this point, you can replant them into another pot or garden area where you want more color and fragrance.
2. propagating from seed
If your gaura plant is healthy and producing flowers, you can take the seed pods from the plant. These will contain seeds that are ripe enough to produce your next generation of gaura plants.
When propagating from seed, you're taking the seeds from a mature gaura plant and planting them in a pot filled with moistened seed starting medium. Place the potted seedlings in your greenhouse or inside when winter arrives, and keep the temperature stable at 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).
Allow the seedlings to grow until they reach a height of 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) before transplanting them into larger containers filled with potting soil or your garden bed.
Grow your gaura plants in full sun, and keep the temperature above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) at all times.
3. propagating from division
When you divide your gaura plant, you are basically separating sections of the root system.
Gather up all the soil and remove it from around the plants (you may need to use a trowel or other tool). Then carefully dig up each plant. If there is no fresh growth on the plant, try to get as much of the root ball intact as possible.
Determine the best place for each plant and then replant them using new potting soil. Water them in well, and once they reach a height of about eight inches or more, you can cut them back to encourage their side growth while they become established.
How to Deadhead Gaura?
Deadheading is the practice of cutting away dead, dying, or faded flowers from the flowering gaura plants, not to create seeds.
When you leave these dead flowers on the gaura, it leaves fewer blooms for you to enjoy and attracts overwintering pests because of a food source (the seeds) left behind.
It's best to deadhead your gaura right after it blooms. Use sharp garden scissors and cut the flower head off at the stem just below where the flower is attached, taking care not to damage any new growth that may already be growing there.
Why Isn’t My Gaura Blooming?
There may be several reasons why your gaura isn't blooming.
1. Deadheading
First, ensure that you've been deadheading the plant as described above.
2. Infestations
If this doesn't work, check your gaura for infestations. These pests can include aphids, leaf miners, spider mites, and thrips. You'll notice their presence because you'll have leaves with holes in them where the pests have eaten away at the flesh or white webs on the stems from webbing created by spider mites.
If you find any signs of infestation, apply pesticides to kill off the pests, reducing plant vigor and yield (the production of flowers).
3. Light
A third possibility is that not enough light is available for proper flowering to occur.
While gaura should grow happily in full sun, a minimum of six hours per day is required for proper flowering. If this isn't available and you've tried the solutions above, bring your plant inside during the winter months when there are fewer hours of daylight.
4. Water
Another reason your gaura isn't blooming could be related to too much water or not enough water. These plants need well-draining soil that's kept moist but not saturated at all times; take care not to overwater.
If these conditions can be met, but you're still not seeing blooms, try trimming off any fresh leaves that form around the central stem. This may help your gaura "refocus" on producing flowers instead of new foliage to produce more flowers sooner.
CONCLUSION
With the busy, schedule the world gives every day, even a gardener has pressure to deal with it in life. Caring for a garden required focus, time and effort. If you are one of those gardeners who find schedule so demanding, then you need to choose the right kind of plant to grow in your garden.
Align your plant choices to your lifestyle and availability. That is why Gaura Belleza Dark Pink fits in all aspects. It doesn’t demand much of your time, and effort but still, it offers you the beauty to behold. Isn’t it fascinating to have plants that continuously bloom pretty flowers to enjoy all the time?
