Gaum is a long-flowering, airy perennial that has come to the forefront in recent years with some lovely varieties produced through breeding programmes and promoted at flower shows. It is not the most long-lived plant, perhaps lasting up to six yearsthen fading, but it will provide a lovely display that combines beautifully with other perennials.The genus, in the family Onagraceae, is made up of 21 species of annual, biennial or perennial herbs. There are only two species cultivated in the UK. The main one of interest is the tall G. lindheimeri Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The other is the rarely found, white-flowered G. sinuata. Its flowers have delicate petals and numerous long stamens that render them butterfly-like. These flowers are zygomorphic—they open at dawn and fade within a day.
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