Always presented in generous bundles or used as a floral filler to accentuate the main flower of an arrangement, Baby’s Breath are versatile blooms most tend to overlook. Also known as Gypsophilia, Xlence, Million Stars or 满天星 (Man Tian Xing) which directly translates to “a sky full of stars”, they are perennial blooms native to Eastern Europe.
Naturally, Baby’s Breath come in white, pink and faint yellow and their color depends on the soil’s gypsum concentration. Due to its strong demand, farmers tint white Baby’s Breath blue, purple, yellow, green and orange. Speaking of colors, a great thing about Baby’s Breath would be that it can be kept as dried flowers and they actually retain their color well (excluding white, which dries a light brown). Just invert them and keep them in a dark corner of a room for a couple of weeks, that’s it!
Unlike most other flowers which symbolize different meanings depending on their color, Baby’s Breath generally symbolize everlasting love, self-discipline, freedom from outside influences and innocence regardless of their color. Together with their dainty physical appearance, Baby’s Breath are often gifted during baby showers and birthdays.
Apart from just looking pretty in a vase or as a gift to a loved one, new research has also shown that Baby’s Breath carry with them medical properties. An extract from taken from Baby’s Breath show that it contains a compound called saponins which helps breakdown the membrane of cancer cells. By doing so, it allows anti-cancer medication to work more efficiently – by about a million times to be exact!
Looking to your hands on some Baby’s Breath hand bouquets or floral arrangements? Head on over here to browse our amazing Baby’s Breath collection. However, if interesting floral and plant trivia are what you are after today, click here to head back to our blog for more articles!
