Table of Contents

Baby Breath Flowers – From wedding bouquets to cut flower arrangements that utilize the tiny, delicate white blossoms, fresh or dried, to fill in around bigger blooms, we’re all acquainted with the baby’s breath plant (Gypsophila paniculata). But did you know that you may cultivate baby’s breath flowers in your garden? Simply by cultivating baby’s breath flowers in your yard, you may learn how to dry your own baby’s breath for creating arrangements at home and sharing with friends.
This plant may be either annual or perennial, and the flowers of baby’s breath come in rose, pink, and white varieties with single or double blossoms. Since the double flowering baby’s breath plants have been grafted, avoid cutting above the graft union.
Baby’s breath’s tiny, white blooms are a traditional accent to floral arrangements ranging from wedding centerpieces to baby showers to florist wreaths. Despite its fragile name, baby’s breath is a very durable and low-maintenance flower that is excellent for adding an airy, billowing aspect to any flower or rock garden.
Baby Breath Flower Growing Instructions
Growing baby breath Flower plant is easy, and you’ll probably find it helpful as a garden specimen. Learning how to cultivate baby’s breath may be a profitable pastime, particularly if you sell it to florists and other professionals.
Growing baby’s breath in full sun is pretty easy if the soil pH is correct. Baby’s breath prefers alkaline or sweet soil. The soil should be well-draining as well. If your baby’s breath plant isn’t doing well, do a soil test to assess the alkalinity of the soil. Plant baby breath. Flowers from seeds, cuttings, or tissue grown plants in the garden.
Planting Baby’s Breath from Seeds
Buying baby’s breath seeds is one method of planting baby’s breath in your garden. While seeds are an easy method to get started, the hardy perennial may take up to a year to bloom. To cultivate baby’s breath from seeds, follow these steps:
- Select a location. Baby’s breath loves full sun, so choose a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunshine each day.
- Make the soil ready. Baby’s breath thrives best in well-draining soil that is somewhat sandy and rich in organic materials. The plant thrives on alkaline soil with a pH of 7.0 to 7.5.
- Plant the seeds. Sow seeds in the flower bed by sprinkling them on top of the soil. You may either sprinkle a thin layer of dirt on top of the seeds or just push them into the soil.
- Water. As your seeds germinate and develop, keep the soil wet.
- Seedlings should be thinned. When your seedlings are one to two inches tall, thin them back to 12 inches apart using garden scissors to avoid competition.
Planting Baby’s Breath from Cuttings
Baby’s breath plants may be started from cuttings of existing bushes. To cultivate baby’s breath from cuttings, follow these steps:
- Select the appropriate containers. The most dependable method for starting plants from stem cuttings is to start them inside and then transfer them into the garden. Begin by selecting a container (or many) with drainage holes.
- Make the soil ready. Baby’s breath thrives on well-draining, somewhat sandy soil with lots of organic matter and a pH of 7.0 to 7.5.
- Choose the stems. Cut stems that are three to five inches long from an established baby’s breath plant.
- Make the stems ready for planting. Remove the leaves from the bottom third of each stem. Dip the bottom of each stem in rooting hormone to promote root development for the quickest results. However, this step is optional.
- The cuttings should be planted. Plant each cutting by burying the stem’s lowest inch in potting soil.
- Maintain a wet environment. Keep the soil equally wet while the young plants are developing roots and establishing themselves.
- Plant in the flower bed. Your cuttings should have roots after four weeks. Choose and prepare a location in the garden that receives at least six hours of direct sunshine each day, then transplant each cutting to the garden, leaving a foot of space on each side for growth.
How to Get Your Own Baby Breath Flowers Dry
You may harvest and learn how to dry your own baby’s breath blooms when they reach a mature size of 12 to 18 inches (30.5-46 cm). When cutting baby’s breath flowers to dry, choose stems with only half of the blooms in bloom and the rest as buds. Stems with browning blooms should not be used.
Under warm running water, re-cut the stems of the baby’s breath. Using twine or a rubber band, tie five to seven stems together. Hang them upside down in a dark, warm, well-ventilated space.
After five days, check on the drying flowers. Flowers are suitable for use in a dried arrangement when they are papery to the touch. Allow additional time if they do not have the papery feel after five days. Monitor every couple of days.
After you’ve learnt how to cultivate and dry baby’s breath, use it as a border in your garden. If it does well, inquire with local florists about buying some of the blooms you’ve developed in your garden.
In certain areas of the United States and Canada, this plant is classified as a noxious weed. Before planting anything in your garden, always check to see whether the plant is invasive in your region. This is something that your local extension office can assist you with.