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Showy baby's-breath

Gypsophila elegans

Also called Annual Baby's Breath, Florists' Baby's Breath

Showy baby's-breath is an annual with airy sprays of small white or pink flowers, grown in gardens and as a cut flower. It needs full sun, well-drained soil and regular sowing for a continuous display.

Family

Caryophyllaceae (Pink & carnation family)

Grows as

Annual

Light

Full sun

Water

Water moderately while young, then let the soil dry between waterings; avoid waterlogging.

Soil

Light, well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

Temperature

10–25 °C; frost tender, so sow after the last frost.

How easy

Easy

Safety

Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).

Native range

S. Ukraine to W. & N. Iran

Climate

temperate

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Gypsophila elegans by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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