By Julie Christensen
You ’re probably intimate with baby ’s breath — omnipresent in wreaths , bridal displays and flowered arrangements — but you might not have thought of it as a garden works . Baby ’s breath(Gypsophila paniculata)makes a lowly - maintenance increase to the perennial garden . Like lavender or catmint , baby ’s breath creates a charming , sonant look in the garden . Because the plant blooms from early summertime to fall , it is an fantabulous makeweight for cover other perennials after they ’re done bloom . Pair it with delphinium , iris , columbine , poppy , Achillea millefolium and other bungalow garden flowers .
Baby ’s breathing space is best known for its blanched prime , but the plant also comes in pink and rise . Hardy in plant hardiness zones 3 through 9 , it is a long - dwell perennial . The plant grow 2 to 3 feet tall and broad , with a easy rounded form .
Getting Started
To grow baby ’s breath , plant nursery transplants or take up it from cuttings . you could also grow babe ’s breathing spell from source , although it probably wo n’t bloom the first summertime . Spread seeds in a semen starting tray filled with a lightweight uprise metier . Cover the seeds with a very clean bed of territory – 1/16 in and mist the tray with water from a spray bottle . Cover the seed tray with plastic wrapping and keep it in a warm locating . seed spud best when the soil temperature is around 70 degree Fahrenheit .
Plant babe ’s breathing time in full sun , in well - draining soil with a pH around 7.0 . Add lime to acidic dirt to raise the pH. Amend heavy , clay soils with wad of organic subject , such as compost , manure and peat moss , because the plants will waste during longsighted , wet winters .
Growing Tips for Baby’s Breath
Baby ’s breathing space does n’t need a muckle of maintenance and in fact , too much fertiliser and water can cause soft growth and few prime . Keep the grease on the dry side and allow for a light app program of a balanced plant food in the springiness as unexampled growing emerges .
Cut the plants back midsummer if they become straggly and unkempt . Cutting them back encourages a fresh batch of flower from previous summertime to lessen . Tall plant benefit from staking . Baby ’s breath is one perennial that does n’t demand section . The fleshy roots are fragile and easily damage so it ’s unspoilt to leave baby ’s breathing place alone and fleece it back to control growth . forked blossomed potpourri are grafted onto a root gunstock , so take tending not to cut below the graft line of descent or the plant will return to the character of the root breed .
Baby ’s breath rarely experiences problem with dirt ball or disease pests . you’re able to prevent mildew or mould issues by spacing baby ’s breathing place so air diffuse freely and using drip irrigation instead of overhead sprinklers .
To utilize the bloom in flowered system , cut them when half the blooms are receptive . The remaining bloom will open up in a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. or two , extending the life history of the flowers . To dry babe ’s breath , cut them early in the daybreak when the bloom are just opening . Hang them in a dry , warm emplacement for two weeks , or until completely teetotal .
Baby ’s breath contains a sap that some people see irritating . The irritation is modest and lasts only a few minute . If you experience itch or a rash , wash your mitt exhaustively with soap and water and wear out gloves when handling this plant .
Varieties and Types of Baby’s Breath Plants
‘ Bristol Fairy ’ is the sort you ’re belike familiar with . This flora produces modest , white blossoms from April to August , depending on your climate . ‘ Viette ’s Dwarf ’ is , as the name implies , a thickset miscellanea , growing only 18 inch marvelous . The plant has pink to blanched flower that bloom from May to August . ‘ Perfekta ’ produces big , white , double flowers in June and grows 3 feet tall . ‘ Compacta plenum ’ turn only 12 inch grandiloquent , with white blooms that appear from April to August .
For more information , visit the following links :
Gypsophila paniculatafrom the Royal Horticulture Society in London
Gypsophila paniculata ‘ Bristol Fairy’from the Missouri Botanical Garden
When she ’s not spell about gardening , food and canning , Julie Christensen enjoys spending fourth dimension in her gardens , which include perennials , vegetables and fruit tree . She ’s indite hundreds of gardening article for the Gardening Channel , Garden Guides and San Francisco Gate , as well as several e - rule book .
