A few of the stems on my gaura are looking a bit woody, but I chop it right back to around 15cm high around about now (already done it) and new growth springs from the base. Mine also keeps its leaves over winter, but looks more battered and scraggy than yours, pre-chop!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
There’s a border of gauras on my bus route into the city ... it’s an inspired piece of planting as the airy stems and flowers hollow through the stern iron railings to the delight of those of us passing the grounds of the former hospital (now some rather prestigious apartment homes).
They’ve been there for several years now and I’ve noticed that they are cut hard back to within a few inches of the crown of the plants early each spring.
Hope that helps.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I shall be out pruning mine back to low shoots in the next few days. However, the danger of hard frosts is over here. In the UK, unless your garden is very sheltered, I would wait until April so the twiggy stems protect any new shoots from a sharp frost.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Thanks all! Well I think I am going prune it right back to within a few inches of the ground. It either survives or it doesn't it's the only way to really find out as some are saying cut it back by half and some say to the ground.
The good thing is I did take a couple of cuttings which are a decent size now so all won't be lost
Mine definitely doesn't have any new shoots at the bottom at the minute. I don't mind cutting them back at the minute as mine are in containers so if there is a frost I can just move them to a frost free outside toilet that we have. In fact that's where my Gauras were for the winter, which is probably why they don't look as haggered as some.
I still do feel a bit scared of cutting too hard back as there is some really woody thick stems right at the base like you get on a shrubby salvia for example. But if they do shoot from below the soil like most perennials then I am going to do it and hope for the best!
@Hostafan1 I took my cuttings from the new shoots that were here when I first purchased the plant. I just stuck them around the side of a pot as with most cuttings and it worked
If you're worried, cut about half of the stems to thin it out. When you see the new shoots develop , you can cut the rest. If you don't see new shoots( can't see any reason why they wouldn't shoot ), you've still got the old ones to flower this year.
@Hostafan1 I took my cuttings from the new shoots that were here when I first purchased the plant. I just stuck them around the side of a pot as with most cuttings and it worked
Cut several 3- to 5-inch stem tips from a healthy gaura plant. Use a clean, sharp knife or pruners to cut the stems just below a leaf or bud. Pinch off all but the top two or three leaves
Fill a celled planting tray with a rooting mix such as 1 part peat and 1 part coarse sand, perlite or vermiculite.
Poke a hole in the center of each cell, using the tip of a pencil or similar object. Dip each gaura stem in powdered, gel or liquid rooting hormone, then plant the stems in the holes, just deep enough to stand upright. Pat the soil lightly around the stems. Be sure the leaves are not touching the soil.
Cover the planting tray with clear plastic. Place the tray in normally warm room temperatures and indirect light. Look for new growth to emerge, which indicates the cuttings have rooted successfully, in about two weeks
Plant each rooted cutting in a 4-inch container filled with regular commercial potting soil. Place the containers in a warm, sunny location and let the gaura plants continue to mature until all danger of frost has passed the following spring.
@Hostafan1, this may help. It's from an American site, but l think the same applies this side of the pond.
Posts
They’ve been there for several years now and I’ve noticed that they are cut hard back to within a few inches of the crown of the plants early each spring.
Hope that helps.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Can I use the stems for cuttings when I remove them? If so what's the best method.
The good thing is I did take a couple of cuttings which are a decent size now so all won't be lost
I still do feel a bit scared of cutting too hard back as there is some really woody thick stems right at the base like you get on a shrubby salvia for example. But if they do shoot from below the soil like most perennials then I am going to do it and hope for the best!
Stem Cuttings
Cut several 3- to 5-inch stem tips from a healthy gaura plant. Use a clean, sharp knife or pruners to cut the stems just below a leaf or bud. Pinch off all but the top two or three leaves
Fill a celled planting tray with a rooting mix such as 1 part peat and 1 part coarse sand, perlite or vermiculite.
Poke a hole in the center of each cell, using the tip of a pencil or similar object. Dip each gaura stem in powdered, gel or liquid rooting hormone, then plant the stems in the holes, just deep enough to stand upright. Pat the soil lightly around the stems. Be sure the leaves are not touching the soil.
Cover the planting tray with clear plastic. Place the tray in normally warm room temperatures and indirect light. Look for new growth to emerge, which indicates the cuttings have rooted successfully, in about two weeks
Plant each rooted cutting in a 4-inch container filled with regular commercial potting soil. Place the containers in a warm, sunny location and let the gaura plants continue to mature until all danger of frost has passed the following spring.
@Hostafan1, this may help. It's from an American site, but l think the same applies this side of the pond.