Gypsophila, or as it is more commonly called, babies breath has been popular with the florist trade for yonks and yonks. Strangely most of it that gets to the UK started life off in Peru…don’t get me started on air miles…especially in refrigerated aircraft…grrrrrrr.
It loves chalk soils…the clue is in the name if you are a Greeky geeky kind of chap or chapess…gypso philli=chalk loving. Fantastically it seems that this wonderful little plant may help to cure lukemia…on going tests look promising…go gyspo go!
As for growing it, I have never tried but we put seeds in the earth three weeks back so let’s keep our Higgledy little fingers crossed. We planted ‘Monarch White’ from Mr Fothergill’s seed company. In the spring we will plant again in batches every couple of weeks to produce consecutive harvests. Sow in March for blooms in June in well drained soil and full sunshine.
As a cut flower it is invaluable as a foliage filler and the old wrinklies love it…bless their little zimmers.
I’m off to young Corbett’s birthday bash, please don’t let any of those children things throw up in my shoes again.
Ranners and his healing crystal loving, dolphin.
(Original illustration by Otto Thome. 1885)
Hardy Annuals | Higgledy Garden
December 31, 2011 @ 9:40 am
[…] *Gypsophilia […]
top 50 annual flowers for cutting | Higgledy Garden
August 7, 2011 @ 4:36 pm
[…] Gypsophilia, Babies Breath […]
Garden Flower: Ammi Majus (Bishop's Flower) | Higgledy Garden
January 1, 2011 @ 9:36 am
[…] See also; Gypsophilia. […]
Locally Grown Wedding Flowers. | Higgledy Garden
December 7, 2010 @ 1:14 am
[…] vibrant cornflowers, love-in-a-mist and campanulas. Or towering delphiniums and clouds of bishop’s lace flower, bound together with trails of flowering clematis and sweet-smelling honeysuckle – what could be […]
October 27, 2010 @ 4:38 pm
I grew gyp for the first time this year and it is SO much nicer than the tight-budded stuff you get with your traditional supermarket bouquets. Try ‘Covent Garden’ too, which has a slightly more glaucous foliage. A warning, though – it self-seeds like a demon and, although it pleases the customers to have you walking through clouds of white blossom as you pick, it’s not that helpful for those of us who grow our flowers in distinct rows! Jan (jwblooms.co.uk)
October 27, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Hi Jan, Thanks for your tip. I shall check out these cheeky self seeding ‘Covent Garden’ fellows…the glaucous foliage would certainly add something. I shall check out your site in just a minute too.
Kind Regards.
Ben
Asters | Higgledy Garden
October 26, 2010 @ 3:08 pm
[…] They make excellent cut flowers and look great with our old friend Gypsophila. […]