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Oenothera gaura

Biennial Evening-primrose · Biennial Bee-blossom · Biennial Gaura · Biennial Beeblossom

Family OnagraceaeGenus Oenothera

Small white four-petalled flowers with long thread-like stamens, scattered along wiry branched stems beside slim pink buds.
FlowerFrank Mayfield from Chicago area, USACC BY-SA 2.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
WildflowerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
annual or biennialPlants of the World Online
Flower
Pink, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Fall, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Canada, lower 48 statesPLANTS Database
Hardiness zones
5-9Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow RockyExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

  • Biennial gaura, formerly Gaura biennis, can reach 1.8 m. Its light pink flowers turn a vivid red-pink in late summer, attracting butterflies and bees just before many autumn plants begin to bloom. Wikipedia: Oenothera gaura

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

26% germination in 21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Gaura p. 145Public domain
Show the original text
Gaura (Onagraceae). G. biennis germ. 70D GA-3(26% in 3rd w), 70L(10%), 70D(none), and 25°!! in April for seed placed outdoors in October. Seeds DS 6 m at 70 germ. similarly.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Gaura p. 145. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

10% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Gaura p. 145Public domain
Show the original text
Gaura (Onagraceae). G. biennis germ. 70D GA-3(26% in 3rd w), 70L(10%), 70D(none), and 25°!! in April for seed placed outdoors in October. Seeds DS 6 m at 70 germ. similarly.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Gaura p. 145. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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