Perennial · North Texas care guide
Oenothera lindheimeri
Nursery Pro tip: Airy wands that dance in any breeze. Native to Texas prairies.
Airy wands of small white or pink flowers that flutter above the plant on thin stems all season — it really does look like a cloud of butterflies. A Texas native, 2–3 ft, blooming April through fall with almost no care.
Full sun and drainage; poor soil is fine. Space 2 ft apart. It has a deep taproot, so it hates being moved and loves neglect.
Spring or fall. Plant high in clay with expanded shale in the backfill, Root Stimulator, thin mulch off the crown.
Weekly to establish, then rarely. Drought tolerant to the point of being difficult to overwater-proof — the usual death is a wet bed.
None.
Shear back by a third in midsummer if it gets leggy and it rebounds with fresh bloom. Cut to a few inches in late February. Plants get woody after three or four years; replace them rather than fighting it.
Root rot in irrigated beds. It reseeds lightly. Rabbits nibble new growth.
Softens stiff plantings — beautiful between roses, or with salvia, coneflower and Mexican feather grass in a prairie-style bed.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.