The frugal candle, also called prairie candle, gives every bed a particularly delicate flair with its light, airy and filigree flowers. With an incomparable willingness to bloom, the magnificent candle enriches rock gardens, tubs and borders.
The magnificent candle (Gaura lindheimeri) is a perpetual bloomer with countless delicate flowers reminiscent of butterflies. Find out here how to plant, cut and combine the magnificent candle, whether the Gaura is hardy and what the most beautiful varieties of the magnificent candle are.
Magnificent candle: characteristics and origin
The primrose belongs to the evening primrose family (Onagraceae) and originally comes from southern North America, i.e. the border region between the USA and Mexico. There it inhabits open pine forests and above all prairie landscapes, which is why it is probably also known under the name prairie candle. Its small but countless flowers reminiscent of butterflies give the magnificent candle the nickname butterfly flower. Matt blue-green, elliptically shaped leaves with slightly coarsely serrated leaf edges sit on the erect, slightly curved and only slightly branched stems of the magnificent candle. The Gaura lindheimeri is a deciduous plant.
How high does a magnificent candle grow?
Depending on the variety, the flowering perennial grows 50 to 150 cm high and forms dense clumps with a circumference of up to 90 cm .
As a permanent bloomer, the prairie candle adorns the garden with countless blossoms from June until the first frost. The white to purple flowers sit like butterflies on the 30 to 60 cm long panicles. Each one flowers for just one day, shows a beautiful color gradient and ends with a capsule fruit from which the seed is taken for propagation.
Is the magnificent candle bee-friendly? Yes, many bees cavort around the flowers of the Gaura lindheimeri in summer. She also attracts butterflies and bumblebees.
Is the primrose perennial? Yes, the primrose is a perennial. In practice, however, it turns out to be relatively short-lived. Learn how to get and multiply the Prairie Candle further down in the article.
The most beautiful varieties of the magnificent candle
There are numerous varieties of Gaura lindheimeri, which differ mainly in their color and growth height. The pink flowering variety 'Elfenbusserl' was even voted Bavarian balcony plant of the year in 2007. Below we have put together a selection of the most popular varieties of magnificent candles:
- 'Whirling Butterflies ': The 'Whirling Butterflies' is probably one of the most popular varieties of the magnificent candle and not without reason: The white, large-flowered flowers of the more branching variety float like whirling butterflies over the bed. It reaches a growth height of up to 70 cm.
- 'Siskiyou Pink': This older and more robust variety of the Gaura lindheimeri belongs with 90 cm growth height tends to be one of the larger varieties of magnificent candles. It blooms in pink, as the name suggests, but only in late summer.
- ‘Rosy Jane‘: This variety of magnificent candle flowers in a particularly unique way: the petals are white with pink edges. 'Rosy Jane' grows up to 70 cm.
- ‘Summer Breeze‘: This is an impressive, extra large variety, reaching up to 150 cm in height. The pink and white flowering prairie candle is particularly robust and stable and tolerates frost better than other varieties.
- 'Short Form': As the name suggests, it is a short-growing variety of the magnificent candles, which is therefore particularly well suited as a container plant. The flowers of 'Short Form' are white to pink and it grows to about 50 cm tall.
- 'Shakti': This variety of the magnificent candle has an intense dark pink color and is also only about 60 cm tall.
- ‘Madonna‘: It can also stand partial shade, although it prefers full sun. The flowering, white flowering variety of the magnificent candle grows up to 55 cm tall.
- ‘Gambit Rose‘: More likelya low-growing variety that impresses with its crimson flowers.
Planting instructions and location of the magnificent candle
The Gaura lindheimeri feels most comfortable in full sun. The more sun the magnificent candle gets, the more lush the flowers will be. The optimal soil for the prairie candle is sandy or rocky, poor in nutrients, well drained and dry. The magnificent candle thrives poorly on heavy and heavily humus-rich soil and falls prey to rot in autumn. This makes the plant 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, such as expanded clay or broken expanded clay. A sufficiently thick drainage layer made of the same material prevents waterlogging, to which the magnificent candle is particularly sensitive. The magnificent candle can easily be overwintered in a pot without frost, which leads to stronger plants in spring.
The optimal location for the magnificent candle:
- Full sun
- Soil poor in nutrients and humus
- Porous and light substrate
- Not too wet
Tip: Choose a wind-protected location for the magnificent candle, otherwise the long stems of the Gaura can easily snap. The perfect place for the magnificent candle is in front of a south-facing house wall.
The best time to plant young candles is from early to mid-May. After planting, no more night frosts should follow. 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 magnificent candles is 30 to 60 cm. For the first few weeks after planting, you should keep the magnificent candles moist until they have formed strong roots.
Tip: When buying young plants, the soil of the plant ball should be carefully removed as much as possible. This can be done, for example, by rinsing. Otherwise, the humus-rich growing medium will hold too much water over the fall and the winter hardiness will suffer as a result.
Combine Magnificent Candle: Magnificent Candle loosens everyonePerennial beds with their filigree blossoms. Since it is usually one of the taller plants, choose a spot further back in the bed for the Gaura.
Suitable companion plants with similar site conditions as the magnificent candle are:
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Blue Rhombus (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
- Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata)
- Sedum (Sedum)
- Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)
The magnificent candle can be combined with ornamental grasses to make it visually appealing. These include:
- Feather Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
- Blue Fescue (Festuca cinerea)
- Diamond Grass (Calamagrostis arundinacea)
- Read more in our article on ornamental grasses
The small flowers of the magnificent candle create a nice contrast with flowers with large flowers, for example:
- Roses (Pink)
- Dahlias (Dahlia)
- Coneflower (Echinacea)
- Globe Thistles (Echinops sp.)
Gaura lindheimeri maintain
The magnificent candle is a frugal plant. Cutting, watering and fertilizing are limited. If you cultivate the magnificent candle in a bucket, you should treat it to a new substrate every two years. The best period for repotting is from February to March, before the Gaura starts to sprout again.
Cut the magnificent candle
The prairie candle does not need to be removed, as is the case with other perennials, as they fall off by themselves. You should only remove old panicles before seed formation if you absolutely want to avoid self-seeding of the magnificent candle. However, it is easier to uproot emerging seedlings in spring.
Pruning of the Gaura lindheimeri in late autumn is necessary to prepare them for the winter. Shorten the perennial to about 10 cm above the ground, using sharp tools. The clump cut back should then be covered with leaves to protect the magnificent candle from the cold and wet. This measure contributes enormously to a successful hibernation.
Water and fertilize
The magnificent candle is frugal when it comes to water and nutrient requirements. It copes well with dry periods that are not too long. Watering is only necessary if it has not rained for a long time. If the magnificent candle grows in a bucket with you, you should water it a little more often because less water can be stored in the flower bucket.
The fertilization of the magnificent candle is also uncomplicated: In most cases, the Gaura gets along without additional fertilization. In the pot, the magnificent candle does well with a little more fertilizer. However, adding half the dosage of a liquid fertilizer indicated on the packaging to the irrigation water once a month is completely sufficient. Our Plantura organic flower & balcony fertilizer is particularly suitable for this. The purely organic fertilizer consists only of plant-based ingredients and is tailored to the needs of flowering plants. However, you should stop fertilizing from the end of August until next spring.
Is the prairie candle hardy?
Unfortunately the Gaura lindheimeri is not entirely hardy. At temperatures below -10 °C and with too much moisture, the root ball can be irreversibly damaged. To ensure 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 off well is crucial for 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 overwintering the magnificent candle in the bucket. Occasionally you should give the overwintering guest a sip of water so that the root ball does not dry out completely over the winter. A careful acclimatization of the magnificent candle to bright sunlight after the winter months is recommended.
Multiply Magnificent Candle
Purple candles multiply by self-seeding in suitable locations. 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 controlled propagation of the magnificent candle, you can harvest the seeds that have dried on the plant and sow them indoors from February. For example, a 1:1 mixture is suitable for sowingSand and our Plantura organic herb and seed soil, which consists of 100% natural raw materials, such as coconut fibers and quality compost. Since the Gaura needs light to germinate, 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 field, sowing is only possible from April, because the magnificent candle needs a germination temperature of at least 15 °C. If sown early, the perennial will flower in the first year, if sown outdoors probably not until the second.
Other propagation options:
- You can root 5 to 10 cm long shoots of the magnificent candle in early summer in potting soil and then plant them back in the bed.
- Propagation by dividing the clump is not recommended for the magnificent candle. If you try it anyway, you should use a sharp spade in spring.
Toxicity
The Magnificent Candle is non-toxic to humans, cats and dogs.
If you're just planning a perennial border, check out our article on creating a perennial border for useful tips and tricks, as well as planting plans for perennial borders in different locations.