This is just a guess, but first, gauras are not long-lived perennials (though they should last at least 2 or 3 years). They do re-seed if you don't mulch too heavily around them. They have a long tap root, which may be why yours in the pot may not be happy: not enough room for the root to go down. Like I said, just a guess. If I were you, I would take it out of the pot, gently shake the soil off the roots, and inspect. If the roots are alive, and especially if you see life near the soil line, plant it in the ground in well amended soil (add some composted manure or compost to the hole), water it well and wait to see. Maybe you will luck up. If it is dead anyway, replace it or try something new. As a rule, perennials are much happier in the ground or in a really big pot. (P.S. Gauras typically grow in poor soil that is on the dry side. Although they do well in typical garden soil with regular moisture, don't overdo the fertilizer or the water.)

Great, someone with reseeding gauras. I had 3 plants from Lowes that I got off the discount rack. It became a favorite. Loved it. I wanted more so I got seeds from my plants and neatly put them in a bed. No luck. Then this fall I started getting plants everywhere but where I laid the seeds. What the heck is that all about. Here is my question: What type of plants came up? I have a lot that are single staulk, but 2 that are unbelievable.: many, many branches. These are liable to be amazing plants, so I am studying how to root them from cuttings from these two new plants. I found a professional site that basically says that you root them with cuttings like everything else. Geez, excuse my excited rambling. question: What do your new seedings look like? Single stem, multiple branched, green, green with speckles, maroon? Thanks, Bob Here is a link that might be useful: one site

As far as I can tell, gaura only has one essential requirement for healthy growth: admiration from the gardener!! I've only grown the white and I grew it from seed via winter sowing which might have given it a leg up in terms of performance but it's a blooming machine from the get go and blooms non-stop until late fall. I did stake mine in one bed but more to keep it from blocking the walkway than anything else. The others just bloomed and bloomed, totally unaffected by last year's drought. The plants go dormant with very little in the way of dead stems to clear away. There's new growth on all of mine this year so they're hardy at least to Z5. The only wildlife that appeared interested in them was bees and butterflies--apparently the japanese beetles and other pests don't bother with them. I can't vouch for the pink varieties but do plan to introduce more gaura types into the beds in years to come. The white one I grew ('The Bride') made a great impact planted beside Russian sage:

I shovel pruned my gaura last week. It is in full sun but the rains have kept that flower bed moist for over a month and that did it in. I have grown gaura before and have found that it does poorly in partial shade. In full sun and good drainage it blooms repeatedly as long as the spent bloom stalks are cut. good luck with yours. BTW, I find they do not seem to require much if any fertilization.