Baby's breath
Plant in spring rather than autumn so it has a full season to root before facing a wet winter, and mark the spot: it is late to reappear and is easily dug up by mistake in March.
Care
Full sun all day; it sulks and flops in anything less.
Deep-rooted once settled and better left dry than watered.
The name says it: chalk. It wants a sharply drained, alkaline soil and will rot in wet clay over winter. Lime a neutral soil rather than fight it, and never plant it in a low spot where water stands.
Cut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush to tidy the plant and sometimes provoke a second, lighter one. Leave the basal growth alone and cut the whole thing to the ground only in early spring.
None, in most gardens. It is a chalk-downland plant and rich feeding gives soft growth that collapses in the first rain. A handful of garden lime every few years on an acid soil does more good than any fertiliser.
Division is not the answer here — the thick taproot resents being cut. Take basal cuttings in spring, or simply sow seed, which germinates readily and reaches flowering size in its second year.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchPut twiggy supports or a grid in place now; a mature plant is too brittle to stake once it is up.
- AprilCut last year's dead stems to the ground as the new basal shoots appear. how ›
- MayTake basal cuttings from the new shoots if you want more plants — division doesn't work on the taproot. how ›
- JulyCut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush for a lighter second one. how ›
- OctoberKeep mulch away from the crown; winter wet at the neck is what kills it, not cold.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchPut twiggy supports or a grid in place now; a mature plant is too brittle to stake once it is up.
- AprilCut last year's dead stems to the ground as the new basal shoots appear. how ›
- MayTake basal cuttings from the new shoots if you want more plants — division doesn't work on the taproot. how ›
- JulyCut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush for a lighter second one. how ›
- OctoberKeep mulch away from the crown; winter wet at the neck is what kills it, not cold.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryPut twiggy supports or a grid in place now; a mature plant is too brittle to stake once it is up.
- MarchCut last year's dead stems to the ground as the new basal shoots appear. how ›
- AprilTake basal cuttings from the new shoots if you want more plants — division doesn't work on the taproot. how ›
- JulyCut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush for a lighter second one. how ›
- OctoberKeep mulch away from the crown; winter wet at the neck is what kills it, not cold.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryPut twiggy supports or a grid in place now; a mature plant is too brittle to stake once it is up.
- MarchCut last year's dead stems to the ground as the new basal shoots appear. how ›
- AprilTake basal cuttings from the new shoots if you want more plants — division doesn't work on the taproot. how ›
- JulyCut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush for a lighter second one. how ›
- NovemberKeep mulch away from the crown; winter wet at the neck is what kills it, not cold.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. The plant simply fails to reappear in spring after a wet winter.
What to do. Plant on a slope, a raised bed or gritty soil; never mulch over the crown.
How to spot it. The whole cloud collapses sideways after rain.
What to do. Support early with twiggy sticks; do not feed.
How to spot it. Clustered on the soft flowering tips.
What to do. Rub off by hand; the plant outgrows minor damage.
Questions
Baby's breath: is it hardy?
H4: Hardy through an average UK winter. It survives down to −10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
No — a deep taproot and a need for dry winter roots make it a poor container plant. The annual kind is the exception.
Baby's breath: when do you prune it?
Cut the flowered stems back by half after the first flush to tidy the plant and sometimes provoke a second, lighter one. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April.
Baby's breath: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–August.
When do you feed it?
None, in most gardens. It is a chalk-downland plant and rich feeding gives soft growth that collapses in the first rain. A handful of garden lime every few years on an acid soil does more good than any fertiliser.