Gaura lindheimeri & Russian sage. The gaura blooms right up to the first frost.

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I love Russian Sage and Gaura. Tough plants that look delicate!

That combo looks fantastic - I winter sowed some of that Golden Jubilee agastache but would have to pair it with the purple coneflowers. And I already have Russian Sage growing in the garden - might have to try and find some of that gaura. Is it something that would grow in blazing hot New Mexico sun? I love seeing what other people have done in their gardens.

You can get seeds of the Pow Wow Echinaceas and easily get them started. Mine are coming up again for their third year! They are as hardy as the regular Echinacea but they are shorter and have a more intense color in the flowers.

Echinaceamaniac and Gardenweed, both of those photos are stunning! Wow! I am adding both Echinacea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' and Russian sage to my garden this year to to the many recommendations of the wonderful people on this forum. I can't wait till they settle in and strut their stuff in the years to come! :-)

That gaura/Russian sage photo is the one Botanical Interests uses on their website page for Gaura lindheimeri. Yup, they even posted my name as the photographer. [Click to watch swelled head growing bigger]

Planting those two together was totally by chance/accident. I stuck the gaura beside the RS and was blown away by how amazing they looked together. I took SO many pictures of them!

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aklinda - gaura is only hardy to Z5 and the year I took that photo we had a 4-month long drought when not a drop of rain fell. The gaura was winter sown so it was tough but I really wondered if it would survive. It did and I never gave it any supplemental water. It just bloomed non-stop the whole season right up until frost. I think I have a few seeds left from the ones I harvested. Let me know if you want them for BEAP. I can't guarantee they'd thrive where you are but they bloom first year from seed so I'd say they're worth a shot.

ispahan - kudos accepted with gratitude! Russian sage is slow to fill out but I think it's well worth the wait. I have several plants growing in various beds around the garden that I'm waiting to see mature and full.

As if looks weren't enough, they're both bee magnets! The bees are on the gaura non-stop all season. The Pow Wow Wild Berry Echinacea I winter sowed last year should bloom this year and I'm SO excited to see those gorgeous, vivid blooms. Be sure to check back here for photos!

Isn't it amazing when you put plants together and it works. I should post photos of my bad combinations this year. LOL.

Gardenweed - would love some of the seeds but what is BEAP? I might have to try some of that pow wow wild berry echinacea too - but prob next year. I have winter sowed probably beyond my ability to plant out this year. I am getting awfully gimpy in my old age. I am in zone 7b - live in New Mexico now after a lifetime in Alaska so the gaura should be fine here. I have several russian sage and another plant that looks very similar to russian sage but is smaller - its name escapes me.

aklinda - Bubble Envelope And Postage = BEAP. Actually I only need the postage and an address label. I sent you an email.

If my Pow Wow Wild Berry blooms in as vivid a color as echman says they do, I'll have lots of photos to post and brag on later this year...and maybe a few seeds to trade. I bought the seeds from Hazzard's (they were not cheap: 100 seeds for $13) and split them with a gardening friend but have to say I got 100% germination from the seeds I winter sowed. I grew them on in good growers mix and planted them out fall 2011.

I'm trying very diligently to keep my winter sowing in check this year but the container count keeps inching higher every few days. The Starbucks barista where I work had more gallon milk jugs for me today. Sigh...

Ditto, Gardenweed, I started Echinacea PWWB from seed last year too and hope my plants look E-man's picture! They did bud up last fall, as did the Echinacea 'Bravado', but the flowers didn't have enough time to open before it got cold.

Full sun?? What is that? Can't find it on my lot. Sorry I have no combos to post, but I do have a serious case of "sun envy".

Here's a combo that I like for sun and summer:

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Monarda 'Blue Stocking', Rudbekia 'Indian Summer' and Tanacetum aka...feverfew

I'm trying a new container perennial garden this year...

Yucca 'Color Guard'
Delosperma cooperi
Sedum Matrona
Sedum 'Angelina'
Sedum 'Blue Spruce'

No more annuals for me. I want to go on vacation and not worry about having a friend water them! LOL.

franeli - that combo is stunning! I've got the feverfew and R. Indian Summer; now all I need is that purply bee balm! Mmmnn...there's a full sun area in my south-side bed that would be the perfect spot for them too. Thanks for the idea!

Do any of you grow gaura 'Dauphin'? I'm hunting it and have been for several years. What varieties of gaura do you grow? It is a beautiful sun plant. I love it with my roses. Thanks, Lou

lou_texas - The one in my photo & garden is Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride.' I've never heard of 'Dauphin.'