Gaura as a Foliage Plant

As my pink-flowered Gaura comes into full bloom, I am entranced with this plant.  Not just for the dancing blooms, but also for the handsome foliage and form.

The fact that the flowering stems elongate over the season, moving the blossom further and further from the base of the plants, allows the gardener to look at it almost as two plants: one of long, wiry stems punctuated by brilliant flowers, the other a fairly compact, graceful foliage plant.

It is the foliage part of it that I want to look at today.  Note: Sadly, I don't know what variety this is.  It was labeled only as "Gaura lindheimeri" sic; but it cannot be the species, which has white flowers.  "Siskiyou Pink" is the old standby pink-flowered cultivar, but now there seem to be plenty of others.  On the whole, given the size and the deep red stems, I am guessing this is "Pink Cloud".

Gaura (recently reclassified as Oenothera lindheimeri) has slender leaves on well-clad stems.

On this variety at least the new growth is a rich mahogany.

It combines beautifully with other bronze-hued plants, such as this Lagerstroemia.

Mature leaves are a bright, medium green, side by side with the bronze-toned young growth.

The whole plant has a delicate effect, springing from a slender base.  The leaves help give it a sculptural quality.

Oenothera lindheimeri originates in Texas and Louisiana.  Predictably, it is well-adapted to heat but also is surprisingly tolerant of drought.  Hardy to -10 F to -20 F (-23 C to -29 C), it is a rugged, tap-rooted rhizomatous plant that has moved into my garden without the least stress.  It combines with all nearby plants and has so far shown a phenomenal capacity for staying in bloom!  And rabbits seem to be leaving it alone.  Need I say more...?

This look at the foliage of a plant known mostly for its flowers is my contribution for this month's Garden Bloggers Foliage Day with Christina at My Hesperides Garden.  Happy GBFD!

Weather Diary: Fair; High: 90 F (32 C)/Low: 66 F (19 C)