Baby’s breath is known for its soft, white flowers that look like little clouds. This popular filler flower is pretty, but it can spread quickly in some places. Luckily, many gorgeous flowers make excellent baby’s breath lookalikes. This article will talk about 7 beautiful flowers that look like baby’s breath.
Queen Anne’s Lace
With its airy clusters of tiny white blooms, Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) bears an uncanny resemblance to baby’s breath. This common wildflower displays flat-topped flower heads atop lacy, fern-like leaves. It thrives in full sun and reaches 2-4 feet tall at maturity.
Though it can spread readily, Queen Anne’s lace attracts beneficial pollinators. It also serves as a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. When foraging, be sure to correctly identify Queen Anne’s lace – it resembles the deadly hemlock plant.
Yarrow
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has flat-topped flowers that are white to pink. The flowers are grouped together and look a lot like baby’s breath. Once it’s established, yarrow can handle drought and does well in full sun and poor, dry soils.
To control spread, opt for non-invasive cultivated varieties like ‘Paprika’ and ‘Summer Pastels’ Yarrow attracts butterflies while repelling deer, making it an excellent addition to wildflower gardens and borders
White Lace Flower
Aptly named, white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora) provides an explosion of delicate white blooms strongly resembling baby’s breath. Each flower head contains hundreds of tiny florets. White lace flower has an airy, lightweight appearance with fern-like leaves below the blooms. It thrives in full sun and reaches 12-18 inches tall.
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) has lots of tiny cross-shaped flowers that look like baby’s breath. They come in white, purple, or pink. This short, mounding plant can be used as an edge or a flowing groundcover. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers.
To control self-seeding, start sweet alyssum from seed instead of cuttings. Plant it in full sun and average soil. Its short stature and continuous blooms make it ideal for tumbling out of walls and containers.
Greater Burnet
Greater burnet (Pimpinella major ‘Rosea’) has soft pink flowers that look a lot like baby’s breath. This plant comes back every year and has pretty green leaves with light flower heads on top of them. It grows best in full sun and is about 2 to 3 feet tall when fully grown.
Greater burnet self-seeds readily, making it ideal for naturalized areas and meadow gardens. Prune spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering. Use it alongside ornamental grasses for gorgeous summer texture and color.
Ornamental Onions
Ornamental alliums like Allium christophii offer huge rounded blooms resembling purple fireworks. The flower heads contain hundreds of star-shaped purple florets, closely mimicking wispy baby’s breath. Alliums grow 1-3 feet tall depending on variety and do best in full sun and well-drained soil.
For lighter purple pom-poms reminiscent of baby’s breath, grow Allium ‘Gladiator’. Or try Allium karataviense for looser white blooms. The flower heads are long-lasting, making ornamental alliums ideal for borders, rock gardens, and cut arrangements.
Feverfew
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) displays clusters of small white daisy-like blooms atop green ferny foliage. It spreads readily, making it perfect for tumbling over walls or as a flowing groundcover. For double blooms resembling baby’s breath, look for the ‘Snow Ball’ cultivar.
Aside from being ornamental, feverfew has many medicinal benefits. It eases migraines, arthritis pain, and inflammation. Grow feverfew in full sun to partial shade and prune spent blooms to encourage more flowers. It is also drought tolerant when established.
In conclusion, many stunning flowers beautifully mimic the delicate look of baby’s breath. For lightweight, airy texture in your garden, try Queen Anne’s lace, white lace flower, yarrow, or ornamental alliums. With their fluffy blooms and ferny foliage, these plants offer the same dreamy, romantic vibe as wispy baby’s breath.
Substitutions for Popular Focal Flowers
Focal flowers are your showstoppers! Typically, you’ll choose focal flowers in the main color scheme you’re going for since they are the star of your arrangement. They set the tone for your entire artistic creation, so choose wisely.
Rose Alternatives for Garden and Standard Varieties
| Rose Substitution | Colors |
|---|---|
| Double Tulip | White, Red, Shades of Pink, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Coral |
| Ranunculus | Red, White/Cream, Light Pink, Hot Pink, Yellow, Dark Purple, Maroon |
| Lisianthus | Cream, Light Yellow, Light Pink/Peach, Purple/Blue, Dark Purple/Black, Brown |
Rose substitutions: Large Ranunculuses have a similar look, feel, and air of elegance as roses. (heather payne)
In this arrangement, there are Roses and Ranunculuses. Can you identify which is which? (almond leaf)
Baby’s breath euphorbia accents landscapes
FAQ
What looks like baby’s breath but isn’t?
Feverfew – This bloom feels so country. If you like the look of baby’s breath for its country codes this is a great alternative. This is the flower used to make chamomile tea and it has such a wild whimsical look.
What are the small white flowers that look like babies breath?
The gypsophila plant is commonly known as “Baby’s Breath” due to its delicate, airy clusters of small white or pink flowers that resemble a soft, ethereal quality, evoking a sense of innocence and purity.
Are aster and baby’s breath the same?
Aster flower or better known as baby’s breath.
What is the difference between baby breath and gypsy flower?
The official gypsophila scientific name remains Gypsophila paniculata, but its common English name is baby’s breath. But depending on the type, florists may also call it a Gypso flower (short for gypsophila) or a Baby’s Breath flower (a shorter form of baby’s breath).