Are you looking for a garden beauty that also looks fantastic in floral arrangements? Look no further than Baby’s Breath.
Gypsophila Paniculata, commonly known as Baby’s Breath, is a popular cut flower that looks amazing in any floral arrangement. But, this flower also deserves a place in your outdoor landscape. An exciting fun fact to know about Baby’s Breath is that this plant used to be grown as an ornamental in Victorian gardens.
Baby’s Breath is a small delicate flower that looks fantastic in all sorts of floral arrangements, especially bridal bouquets. You can use Baby’s Breath as cut flowers, both fresh and dried. But, the good news is that this plant can also be grown easily in gardens. And, it is a magnet for butterflies and other pollinators.
Baby’s Breath is a flower that generally requires very little maintenance. Plus, it also rarely has problems with pests or diseases.
Ready to learn more about growing and caring for Baby’s Breath flowers? Keep reading below!
About Baby’s Breath
- Gypsophila Paniculata belongs to the family of Caryophyllaceae, the Gypsophila genus. The Caryophyllaceae family is commonly known as the pink or carnation family, and it is a large family, including over 81 genera and 2,625 known species.
- Baby’s Breath botanical name is Gypsophila Paniculata. Other common names of this flower are Bachelor’s Button and Perfoliate Baby’s Breath.
- This flower is commonly known as Baby’s Breath because its small and delicate flowers suggest innocence and the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about innocence is a little baby.
- Baby’s Breath is native to Eastern Europe, Africa, Australia, and western Asia.
- Baby’s Breath looks absolutely amazing in all sorts of landscapes. It is best to grow this flower in groups of 3 to 4 plants for the best visual impact when grown outdoors. Plus, Baby’s Breath is already a favourite cut flower for floral arrangements. Baby’s Breath flowers look great, both fresh and dried.
- Baby’s Breath is a sun-loving flower. It loves to grow in full sun. Although it can tolerate a bit of shade, especially in hot afternoons, too much shade can make the plant look leggy and discourage blooming.
- In terms of soil preference, Baby’s Breath flowers prefer slightly alkaline soil pH. They can grow in a range of soil types, but it is crucial for the soil to ensure good drainage because Baby’s Breath is susceptible to root, stem, and crown rot when it sits in soggy soil.
- Baby’s Breath has minimal water needs. This flower rather thrives in dry soil. Overwatering can cause root rot and kill your flower. Moderately moist soil is only recommended for young plants until they are established.
- Gypsophila Paniculata is also a cold-hardy plant. This flower prefers a dry climate over a humid one. If you live in a humid area, ensure excellent soil drainage so that the flower doesn’t sit in constant moisture.
- Baby’s Breath isn’t very sensitive to damage caused by garden pests. Only young plants that are not established can suffer severe damage from certain pests like leafhoppers. Other problems that may affect your Baby’s Breath flowers are blight and rot. Maintaining optimal growing conditions is the best way to protect your Baby’s Breath flowers from these pest and disease problems.
Baby’s Breath Features: An Overview
- Baby’s Breath is an annual or perennial flower featuring loosely branching clusters of small, delicate, airy blooms.
- Annual Baby’s Breath is much branched and features narrow bluish-green leaves. It can grow up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall.
- Perennial Baby’s Breath can grow up to 40 inches (100 cm) tall.
- Baby’s Breath blooms in summer, and the flowers are usually white or pink.
- Keep in mind that the Baby’s Breath plant is known to be toxic to both people and pets. This flower contains saponins, toxic plant-derived organic chemicals, that can cause gastrointestinal upset when ingested. So, make sure to plant your Baby’s Breath flowers out of your pets’ and kids’ reach.
Growing Baby’s Breath
Growing Baby’s Breath is really no difficult task. This flower requires very little maintenance, and it is also resistant to the most common problems other garden plants have. So, both novice and experienced gardeners can easily grow Baby’s Breath in their gardens.
You need to consider just a few growing needs that this flower has to enjoy its delicate and lovely blooms and to use them in your floral arrangements.
First of all, pay attention to this flower’s light needs. As mentioned above, Baby’s Breath is a sun-loving plant and enjoys growing in full sun. It is ideal to provide your Baby’s Breath flowers with at least six hours of full sun daily. Although Gypsophila Paniculata can tolerate a little bit of shade, especially in sweltering afternoons, too much shade can genuinely affect the plant. Not only that it makes your Baby’s Breath more susceptible to rot, but blooming is also discouraged by shade.
Fertilizing can also support your Baby’s Breath flowers in growing healthy and happy. We recommend fertilizing your flowers once a month during the growing season. You can use an all-purpose fertilizer to provide an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Avoid adding too much fertilizer to your Baby’s Breath because this can lead to soft growth and few blooms. Adding some compost into the planting site each spring can also be enough for your Baby’s Breath to grow healthy.
Pruning is also required to keep your Baby’s Breath healthy. The best time to trim your flowers a bit is after they bloom in summer. Deadhead your Baby’s Breath flowers or cut them back to encourage new blooms.
Planting Baby’s Breath
Planting Baby’s Breath is just as easy as it is to care for this flower. There are a few things to keep in mind about this flower’s preferences to ensure successful planting, including well-draining soil, a lot of sunlight, and its need for dry climates.
- Beautiful - Large premium packets of Annual Baby’s Breath flower seeds. Gypsophila elegans, not to be confused with invasive perennial variety. Quick blooming and popular in cut flower arrangements. Easy to grow, thriving in a variety of conditions. Minimum of 750 mg per packet (about 600 seeds).
- Productive - Baby’s Breath germinates in 7-14 days when soil temps are 70-75°F. Plant 1/16” deep and space 10” apart in an area with full sun. This variety will grow 1.5-3’ tall with a spread of 2-3’. Plants will mature in 90-105 days. Grow in USDA zones 3-9.
- Pollinator Friendly - Butterflies and bees love Baby’s Breath and will pay your garden many visits. Great way to support your local pollinators. Plant wildflower style or in carefully arranged beds, whatever suits your fancy. Enjoy outdoors in the garden or may be grown indoors if given sufficient light.
- Easy to Grow - Instructions included on each packet. Plus, we are available to answer all your questions. If these seeds don’t germinate, we will happily make it right for you.
- Safe and Sustainable - Our operation is fully solar powered, and Sow Right Seeds has taken the Safe Seed Pledge to sell only fresh Non-GMO heirloom seeds for you and your family.
- EXTRA LARGE PACKET contains over 1 full ounce of pure live seeds (20,000+ seeds!) - Enough to cover 400 square feet.
- THE FRESHEST SEEDS available lead to high germination rates, making your gardening easy, successful, and fun!
- PREMIUM PACKAGING designed for optimal seed storage, with full planting instructions and reusable zipper - Great for gift giving!
- GUARANTEED TO GROW! – We want everyone to be a successful gardener, and we’re always here with personal gardening advice. If you have any issue with our seeds, we’ll refund or replace them no questions asked!
- CLOUDS OF SOFT WHITE BLOOMS will cover these short 18 inch tall plants in as little as 45 days after germination!
- Quality - All Baby's Breath seeds packaged by Seed Needs are intended for the current and the following growing seasons. All seeds are stored in a temperature controlled facility that is free of significant amounts of moisture.
- Quantity - Seed Needs offers generous quantities. You can share with friends and family, or you can save the extra seeds until the following season, if properly stored.
- Packets - Each seed packet displays an artful illustration of the variety to be grown, as well as detailed seed sowing information on the reverse side.
- Promise - Seed Needs will never knowingly supply GMO based seed products. The vast majority of our seeds are open pollinated & heirloom, with the exception of a few hybrids.
- Germination - Seed Needs packets contain some of the freshest seed available. Direct from the growers. If sown correctly, you will begin seeing results in only a matter of days.
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First of all, know that Baby’s Breath plants bloom really quickly from seed. You can start by planting your seeds in small pots about six to eight weeks before you plan to plant them outdoors. When planting the seeds, use a starter mix and sow the seeds adding just a dusting of soil over them. Keep the soil moist and warm. For faster germination, you can use a heat mat.
Now, when planting Baby’s Breath seeds outdoors, make sure that you place them in a sunny area of your garden so that your new plants will get enough sunlight every day.
Plus, pay attention to the soil you use. Remember that although Baby’s Breath grows in a wide range of soil types, it needs excellent drainage to prevent root rot. Mix your garden soil with coarse sand and crusher fines to improve drainage and avoid waterlogged soil that rots your flowers’ roots.
Watering Baby’s Breath
The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to watering your Baby’s Breath flowers is that you need to avoid overwatering at all costs. Overwatering is a sure way to kill your lovely Baby’s Breath flowers as it leads to root, stem, and crown rot. It is also essential to know that young plants require more frequent watering until they are established.
Gypsophila Paniculata has minimal watering needs. It thrives in dry soil and can survive short periods of drought. In other words, it is best to underwater your Baby’s Breath flowers rather than overwater them.
To avoid overwatering your Baby’s Breath flowers, use the “soak and dry” watering method. This means that you should only water your flowers only after the top first inches of the soil are completely dry.
Propagating Baby’s Breath
If you want more Baby’s Breath flowers in your garden, we can’t blame you. These flowers are simply lovely!
You can propagate your Baby’s Breath adult flowers via seeds or cuttings. However, it is more recommended to propagate your flowers using cuttings from an existing plant because seeds are very small and can sometimes be a little tricky to get going. In contrast, starting new plants from cuttings works from all varieties, and it usually takes about a month for the new plant to start.
To propagate your Baby’s Breath from cuttings:
- Take cuttings of about 3 to 5 inches (8-13 cm) long from your existing plants using a clean and sterilized tool.
- Dip the cuttings in water and rooting hormone.
- Place the cuttings into soil with about 2 inches (5 cm) of stem above.
- Make sure to remove any leaves touching the soil.
- Water the cuttings from the bottom. You can do so by placing the containers into a water-filled plant saucer. Remove the containers when the soil gets moist.
- Keep the containers with the cuttings in a warm spot but away from direct sunlight.
- Once you tug the stems and feel resistance, this is a sign that the roots have developed, and you can proceed with replanting your new Baby’s Breath flowers.
In Conclusion
Baby’s Breath is a fantastic flower to have in your garden. You can use it to add some delicacy to your outdoor space or to spice up your floral arrangements. Plus, it will also attract plenty of beautiful butterflies to your garden.
It is incredibly easy to care for Baby’s Breath flowers. They have minimal growing needs and are resistant to most threats that affect other garden plants.
