Ah, Annual Baby's Breath. A fine choice for the garden.

All plants Card

Annual Baby's Breath

Gypsophila elegans

Zones 7–13

Growing

Achieving a cloud of delicate white blossoms begins with careful attention to your planting site. Because this annual thrives in the warmth of the growing season, you should sow seeds or transplant starts once the soil has warmed and the threat of frost has passed. While these plants are happy in containers, they prefer a spot with well-drained soil to prevent moisture from sitting too heavily around the roots.

To keep your blooms coming throughout the season, practice regular deadheading. Removing spent flowers encourages the plant to rebloom, extending the period of showy displays. This practice is especially rewarding if you intend to use the flowers for arrangements, as they make excellent cut flowers and even beautiful dried flowers for long-lasting decor.

As the season progresses, keep a close eye on your plants to monitor their health. While they are wonderful for attracting pollinators to your garden, staying observant allows you to catch any emerging issues early. If you notice the plant spreading, it is simply dropping its own seeds to establish new life in the surrounding garden beds.

Stats
Sunfull sun
Watermedium
Grow time—
Height1–3ft
Spacing6–12in
Light
Full sun✓
Part shade✓
Shade✗
Traits
Life cycleannual
Categorygarden annual
Growth habitupright
Seasonwarm
Frost tolerancetender
Height1–3ft
Spacing6–12in
Days to bloom45–90
Native us✗
Growing
Watermedium
Drainagewell drained
Soil ph min6.0
Soil ph max7.5
Propagation
Seed✓
Cutting✗
Division✗
Graft✗
Tuber bulb crown✗
Transplant✓
Container ok✓
Spreadself seeds
Deer resistant✓
Drought tolerant✓
Pollinator friendly✓
Toxic to
People—
Pets—
Livestock—
Bloom
Length6–12wk
Colors
White✓
Yellow✗
Orange✗
Red✗
Pink✗
Purple✗
Blue✗
Green✗
Fragrant✗
Reblooms✓
Deadhead✓
Cut flower✓
Dried flower✓
Invasive
Statusnone
Regions
Northeast✗
Southeast✗
Midwest✗
Plains✗
Southwest✗
Mountain west✗
Pacific northwest✗
California✗
Hawaii✗
State noxious✗
Escapes cultivation✗
Calendar, zone 7
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sownonoyesyesyesnonononononono
Harvest————————————