With its tiny clusters of minuscule white or pink flowers, the baby's breath adds an elegant and romantic touch to the garden or in a pot on your terrace. This plant, which thrives in dry and chalky soils, is also easy to grow as it is low-maintenance and requires little watering. Discover our tips for easy propagation.

A Few Words About Baby's Breath

Naturally found in mountainous and rocky areas from the Mediterranean Basin to the Caucasus and Asia, baby's breath prefers dry, well-draining soils, sunny exposure, and minimal watering. It is therefore a hardy and easy-going plant. It comes in around a hundred species, ranging from perennial plants to annuals, and from creeping plants, such as Gypsophila repens, to tall plants like Gypsophila paniculata, which can reach heights from 10 cm to over 1 metre. Its tiny flowers come in white or pink hues.
Baby's breath can be propagated by sowing or by root cuttings.

Sowing Baby's Breath

Sowing is the most effective technique for propagating baby's breath. It can be done directly in the ground or in seed trays.

In the Ground

  • Prepare the soil by removing weeds and adding sand or gravel if the soil is too heavy or not well-draining enough.
  • Sow the seeds in April or May in well-draining, light, or even sandy or stony soil, in a sunny spot.
  • Water sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings, as baby's breath dislikes moisture.
  • Thin out the young plants, spacing them 30 cm apart for creeping species and 1 metre apart for tall species.

Find all the steps for sowing in the ground in this article: Sowing Seeds Directly in the Ground.

In Seed Trays

  • Line the bottom of a seed tray with a draining layer of sand or clay pebbles.
  • Fill it with a mix of compost and sand in equal parts.
  • Firm the soil with a piece of wood.
  • Sow the seeds in autumn in the tray, either broadcast or in rows.
  • Cover with a thin layer of compost and firm it down.
  • Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
  • Place the tray in a nursery under a cold frame.
  • Wait for germination, which usually takes around 3 weeks.
  • Keep the compost moist by misting when it dries out.
  • Thin out the seedlings if necessary.
  • Transplant the seedlings into pots.
  • Then plant them in the ground in May in well-draining soil and a sunny spot.
  • Do not wait too long to replant baby's breath, as it has a taproot and does not tolerate being moved once well-established.

Discover all the steps for sowing in seed trays in this article: Sowing in Seed Trays.

Root Cuttings

It is also possible to propagate baby's breath from root cuttings, though care must be taken as the roots are fragile. This technique is best done during the plant's dormant period, from October to March, to minimise stress on the plant after root cutting.

  • In autumn or winter, gently loosen the soil around the plant and take isolated offsets from the edge of the clump to disturb the roots as little as possible.
  • Using clean and disinfected pruning shears, cut sections of fleshy roots, 3 to 10 cm long, ensuring the rootlets are preserved.
  • Replant immediately in a perforated tray filled with a draining layer at the bottom and topped with a suitable draining substrate (half compost, half sand).
  • Water with a spray bottle.
  • Place in a greenhouse or conservatory with light but no heating.
  • Mist the substrate sparingly to keep it moist.
  • Seedlings will appear after a few weeks.
  • Transplant into the ground the following spring.

Discover all the steps for root cuttings in this article: What Is a Root Cutting?.