Baby's Breath

Did you know

• The genus name 'Gypsophila' literally means 'gypsum-loving' in Greek—it grows naturally in chalky and gypsum-rich soils where almost nothing else thrives.
• Baby's breath is one of the top 10 cut flowers globally—almost no wedding bouquet is complete without a froth of its tiny white blooms as filler around larger flowers.
• A single mature plant can produce over 14,000 individual flowers in a single season—the airy clouds make it look like spilled stars or a wind-tossed sea of foam.
• It's considered a noxious weed in Manitoba, Washington, California, and parts of Australia—escaped cut-flower farms have allowed gypsophila to invade prairies and dunes worldwide.
• The roots produce saponins that have been used since Roman times as a gentle natural soap—and as a foaming agent in halva, the famous Middle Eastern sesame confection.

Color meanings

Uses

• Cut flowers
• Wedding bouquets
• Cottage gardens
• Dried flowers