Gaura Rosyjane

Gaura Rosyjane: White Butterflies Wearing Pink Lipstick

Rosyjane does her nails before she leaves the house. Every white flower comes edged in pink, waving on long wands like she's hailing a cab in heels. MANICURED. MOISTURIZED. MINDING HER OWN BUSINESS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Gaura lindheimeri (now also classified as Oenothera lindheimeri)
• Common Name: Butterfly Flower, Wand Flower, Beeblossom
• Height: 60–75 cm (24–30 in)
• Spread: 50–60 cm (20–24 in)
• Flowers: White with a pink picotee edge, on long, wand-like stems. Cultivar name 'Harrosy'.
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Narrow green leaves that can take on a rosy tint in cool weather
• Features: Good for cutting

Where to Plant: Rosyjane earns a spot in the middle of a sunny border, in a gravel or dry garden, or in a big container, and its see-through habit lets it stand in front of other plants without hiding them. It minds winter wet more than winter cold, so give it a raised bed or sandy spot rather than heavy clay.

Companion Plants: Give Rosyjane a sunny, dry bed with carmine coneflowers, a dark sedum and a red-bladed grass. Lewisia 'Rainbow' tucks in at the front at 15 to 25 cm with mixed flowers in May and June. Sedum 'Dark Magic' adds dark leaves and pink flowers at 30 to 38 cm from August to October. Echinacea 'Ruby Star' brings carmine-pink coneflowers at 90 to 100 cm from July to September. Imperata 'Red Baron' adds upright blades that turn blood red, at 45 to 50 cm.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun or a spot with a few hours of afternoon shade. Give it light, sandy or gritty, well-drained soil. Avoid low spots where snowmelt pools. Don't feed it much. Lean soil gives sturdier stems. Water regularly the first summer, then only during long dry stretches. Remove spent wands through the season to keep it blooming and tidy. Leave the stems in place for winter and cut them back in spring once new growth starts. It grows a deep taproot, so plant it where it can stay.

History: Rosyjane was bred at Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire, England, named for the nursery's founder, Rosy Hardy, and launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2008. The wild species comes from Texas and southern Louisiana and honours Ferdinand Lindheimer, a 19th-century German-born botanist in Texas.

Final Thoughts: Snip a few wands for a vase and let her show off indoors too. The deer won't bother her. NOBODY MESSES WITH A FRESH MANICURE.