Magnificent candle: location, cutting & wintering

The frugal splendor candle, also called prairie candle, gives every bed a particularly delicate flair with its light, airy and filigree flowers. The splendor candle enriches rock gardens, pots and borders with an unrivaled flowering capacity.

The splendid candle (Gaura Lindheimeri) is a permanent bloomer with countless delicate flowers reminiscent of butterflies. Find out here how to plant, cut and combine the splendor candle, whether the Gaura is hardy and what the most beautiful varieties of the splendor candle are.

Magnificent candle: characteristics and origin

The splendid candle belongs to the evening primrose family (Onagraceae) and originally comes from southern North America, the border region between the USA and Mexico. There it inhabits open pine forests and especially prairie landscapes, which is why it is also known under the name prairie candle. Its small but countless flowers, reminiscent of butterflies, give the splendor candle the nickname butterfly flower. On the upright, slightly curved and only weakly branched stems of the magnificent candle sit matt blue-green, elliptically shaped leaves with slightly coarse-toothed leaf edges. the

Gaura Lindheimeri is a deciduous plant.

How high is a splendid candle?
The flowering perennial is 50 to 150 cm high, depending on the variety, and forms dense clumps with a circumference of up to 90 cm.

As a permanent bloomer, the prairie candle adorns the garden with countless flowers from June until the first frost. The white to purple colored flowers sit like butterflies on the 30 to 60 cm long panicles. Each one blooms only for one day, shows a beautiful color gradient and ends with a capsule fruit from which the seeds are taken for propagation.

Is the splendor candle bee-friendly? Yes, many bees cavort around the flowers in summer Gaura Lindheimeri. It also attracts butterflies and bumblebees.

Is the splendor candle perennial? Yes, the splendor candle is a perennial perennial. In practice, however, it turns out to be relatively short-lived. How to get and multiply the prairie candle, see below in the article.

The most beautiful varieties of the splendid candle

There are numerous varieties of the Gaura Lindheimerithat differ mainly in their color and height. The pink flowering variety 'Elfenbusserl' was even named Bavarian Balcony Plant of the Year in 2007. We have put together a selection of the most popular types of sparkling candles below:

• ‘Whirling Butterflies ‘: The ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is probably one of the most popular types of splendor candles and not without reason: The white, large-flowered flowers of the more branching variety float like swirling butterflies above the Bed. It reaches a height of up to 70 cm.

• ‘Siskiyou Pink‘: This older and more robust variety of the Gaura Lindheimeri With a height of 90 cm, it belongs to one of the larger types of splendid candles. According to the name, it blooms in pink, but only in late summer.

• ‘Rosy Jane‘: This type of splendor candle blooms in a particularly unique way: the petals are white with pink edges. ‘Rosy Jane’ is up to 70 cm tall.

• ‘Summer breeze‘: It is an impressive, particularly large variety that grows up to 150 cm high. The pink and white blooming prairie candle is particularly robust and stable and also tolerates frost better than other varieties.
• ‘Short form‘: As the name suggests, it is a low-growing variety of splendor candles, which is therefore particularly suitable as a container plant. The flowers of the ‘Short Form’ are white to pink and they are about 50 cm high.
• ‘Shakti‘: This type of splendor candle has an intense dark pink color and is also only about 60 cm tall.
• ‘Madonna‘: She can also stand it in partial shade, although she likes the blazing sun better. The blooming, white-blooming variety of the magnificent candle grows up to 55 cm.
• ‘Gambit Rose‘: Also more of a low-growing variety that convinces with its carmine-red flowers.

Planting instructions and location of the magnificent candle 

the Gaura Lindheimeri feels most comfortable in full sun locations. The more sun the splendid candle gets, the more luxuriant the flowers are. The optimal soil for the prairie candle is sandy or stony, poor in nutrients, permeable and dry. The splendor candle does not thrive well on heavy and very humus rich soils and falls prey to rot in autumn. Thus, the plant is ideal for gravel beds or the rock garden. If your garden soil is too heavy, be sure to mix in plenty of sand or fine gravel to ensure good drainage.

For successful planting in the tub, mix the potting soil with 40 to 50% coarse material, e.g. expanded clay or expanded clay fragments. A sufficiently thick drainage layer made of the same material prevents waterlogging, to which the magnificent candle is particularly sensitive. You can easily overwinter the splendid candle in a bucket free from frost, which leads to stronger plants in spring.

The optimal location for the splendid candle:

• Full sun
• Soil poor in nutrients and humus
• Well drained and light substrate
• Not too wet

Tip: Choose a sheltered location for the magnificent candle, because the long stems of the Gaura can otherwise easily twist. In front of a south-facing house wall is the perfect place for the splendid candle.

The best time to plant the young sparkling candles is from early to mid-May. No more night frosts should follow after planting. The prairie candle is particularly effective in plantings of three to five specimens in a group. Five to seven plants fit next to each other per square meter, so the planting distance between the splendid candles is 30 to 60 cm. In the first few weeks after planting, you should keep the splendor candles moist until they have developed strong roots.

Tip: In the case of purchased young plants, the soil in the plant ball should be removed as carefully as possible. This can be done, for example, by rinsing. Otherwise there is too much water in the humus-rich growing medium over the autumn and winter hardiness suffers as a result.

Combine a splendid candle: The splendid candle loosens up every shrub bed with its filigree flowers. Since it is usually one of the taller plants, choose a place further back in the bed for it Gaura the end.

Suitable companion plants with similar site conditions as the splendor candle are:

• lavender(Lavandula angustifolia)
• Blue rhombus (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
• Lead root (Plumbago auriculata)
• Sedum plant(Sedum)
• Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)

The splendid candle can be combined with ornamental grasses in a visually appealing way. This includes:

• Feather bristle grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
• Blue fescue (Festuca cinerea)
• Diamond grass (Calamagrostis arundinacea)
• Read more in our article Ornamental grasses

The small flowers of the magnificent candle contrast beautifully with flowers with large flowers, for example:

• Roses(Pink)
• Dahlias(Dahlia)
• Sun hat(Echinacea)
• Globe thistles (Echinops sp.)

Gaura Lindheimeri maintain

The splendor candle is a frugal plant. The cutting, watering and fertilizing are limited. If you cultivate the splendor candle in the tub, you should treat it to a new substrate every two years. The best time to repot is from February to March, before the Gaura drives out again.

Cut a splendid candle

It is not necessary to remove the faded flowers, as is known from other perennials, with the prairie candle, as they fall off by themselves. Only if you absolutely want to avoid self-sowing of the splendor candle should you remove old panicles before the seeds form. However, it is easier to pull up emerging seedlings in spring.

In late autumn there is a cutting of the Gaura Lindheimeri needed to prepare them for winter. Shorten the perennial to about 10 cm above the ground, making sure you use sharp tools. The cut back clumps should then be covered with leaves to protect the magnificent candle from the cold and wet. This measure contributes enormously to a successful wintering.

Water and fertilize

The splendor candle is frugal when it comes to water and nutrient requirements. It copes well with dry spells that are not too long. Watering is only necessary if it has not rained for a long time. If the splendor candle grows in your tub, you should water a little more often, because less water can be stored in the flower tub.

The fertilization of the splendid candle is also uncomplicated: in most cases it comes Gaura cope without additional fertilizers. A little more fertilizer is good for the splendid candle in the bucket. Adding half of the liquid fertilizer dosage indicated on the packaging to the irrigation water once a month is sufficient. Our is suitable for this Plantura organic flower & balcony fertilizer especially good. The purely organic fertilizer consists only of plant-based ingredients and is precisely tailored to the needs of flowering plants. From the end of August until the next spring, however, you should stop fertilizing.

Is the prairie candle hardy?

It is completely hardy Gaura Lindheimeri Unfortunately not. At temperatures below - 10 ° C and too much moisture, the root ball can be irreversibly damaged. So that the prairie candle survives the winter without damage, cut the perennial back to 10 cm above the ground in autumn and cover the eyrie with plenty of brushwood and leaves. Such a rain cover protects against too much moisture. The white varieties are often more frost-resistant. Whether the location is well drained and water drains well is decisive when it comes to the question of whether the Gaura is hardy.

A dark and cool, but frost-free room, for example the garage or the shed, is suitable for wintering the splendid candle in the bucket. Occasionally you should give the winter guest a sip of water so that the root ball does not dry out completely over the winter. A careful accustoming of the splendor candle to bright sunlight after the winter months is recommended.

Magnificent candle multiply

Magnificent candles multiply in suitable locations by self-sowing. The capsule fruits open and drop the seeds. However, they only germinate if the soil is dry and the location is not too cold in winter.

For a controlled propagation of the magnificent candle, the seeds dried on the plant can be harvested and sowed indoors from February. For example, a 1: 1 mixture of sand and ours is suitable for sowing Plantura organic herb & seed compostmade from 100% natural raw materials, for example coconut fiber and quality compost. Since the Gaura is a light sprout, the seeds should not be covered with soil. After four to six weeks, the plants can be pricked out and planted in the garden after the ice saints.

In the open field, sowing is only possible from April, because the splendid candle needs a germination temperature of at least 15 ° C. If sown early, the perennial will bloom in the first year, if sown outdoors it will probably not bloom until the second.

Further propagation possibilities:

• 5 to 10 cm long shoots of the magnificent candle cut in early summer can be rooted in potting soil and then planted again in the bed.
• Propagation by dividing the eyrie is not recommended for the splendid candle. If you still try, you should do it in the spring with a sharp spade.

Toxicity

The splendor candle is non-toxic for humans as well as for cats and dogs.

If you are in the process of planning a perennial bed, please refer to our article on the Creating a perennial bed useful tips and tricks as well as planting plans for perennial beds in different locations.