10 Beautiful Flowers that Look Like Baby’s Breath

Baby’s breath, also known as Gypsophila, is a popular filler flower known for its delicate, wispy blooms that look like tiny clouds Though beautiful, baby’s breath can be invasive in some regions. Luckily, many equally gorgeous flowers make great alternatives. Here are 10 flowers that look like baby’s breath

1. Queen Anne’s Lace

Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is a common wildflower that closely resembles baby’s breath Its tiny white flowers bloom in lacy, flat-topped clusters, giving it an airy, delicate look Queen Anne’s lace has fern-like leaves and can reach 2-4 feet tall. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil.

Queen Anne’s lace can be invasive, but it attracts pollinators and serves as a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. Its young roots and leaves are edible when cooked.

2. Yarrow

With its clustered blooms and fern-like foliage, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) bears a striking resemblance to baby’s breath. Native to North America, yarrow displays flat-topped clusters of tiny white or pink flowers from early summer to fall. It thrives in full sun and dry, well-drained soil.

Yarrow is drought tolerant, attracts butterflies and bees, and has various medicinal uses. It spreads readily, so keep an eye on its growth. For beautiful, wispy blooms, grow the ‘Paprika’ or ‘Summer Pastels’ varieties.

3. White Lace Flower

As its name suggests, white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora) offers gorgeous, lacy white blooms that resemble baby’s breath. Dainty and airy, its flowers bloom in loose clusters atop wiry, erect stems. The fern-like leaves complement the flowers nicely. Grow white lace flower in full sun and well-drained soil. It grows 12-18 inches tall.

4. Sweet Alyssum

In shades of white, pink, or purple, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) provides stunning spring to fall blooms. Its low mounds are covered in masses of tiny cross-shaped flowers. Sweet alyssum thrives in full sun and average soil, and spreads readily – perfect for tumbling over walls or containers.

To control spread, grow sweet alyssum from seed instead of transplants. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers. Sweet alyssum works beautifully as an airy groundcover or edging plant.

5. Daucus carota

Closely related to Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota offers fluffy umbels of tiny flowers in shades of burgundy, pink, and cream. The lacy blooms add lovely texture and color to any garden. Daucus reaches 2-4 feet tall and prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant once established.

Daucus carota is a short-lived perennial or biennial. It readily self-seeds, so keep an eye on unwanted spread. Use it in borders, meadow gardens, or cut flower arrangements. The dark blooms pair nicely with pastels.

6. Ornamental Onions

Also called ornamental alliums, these eye-catching perennials offerround, pom-pom-like flower heads. Popular varieties like Allium schubertii and Allium christophii provide gorgeous, lilac-purple globes that resemble exploded fireworks. Others, like Allium karataviense, offer looser white blooms.

Ornamental onions grow 1-3 feet tall, depending on variety. Plant the bulbs in fall in well-drained soil and full sun. The blooms last for weeks in late spring and early summer. These exotic, long-lasting flowers make stunning additions to borders and rock gardens.

7. Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila) Varieties

If you love the look of baby’s breath but want to avoid invasive types, try growing sterile cultivars like ‘Gypsophila Bristol Fairy’ or ‘Gypsophila Perfecta’. These non-invasive selections offer the same delicate beauty but without the risk of escape into natural areas.

Some baby’s breath cultivars produce pink or rose-tinged blooms for a romantic effect. Try ‘Gypsophila Pink Fairy’ or the dwarf ‘Viette’s Little Gyp’. Give them full sun, average soil, and good drainage for optimal growth.

8. Feverfew

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) provides airy clusters of small white daisy-like blooms from spring to fall. As a perennial, it reaches 1-2 feet tall and spreads readily – perfect for borders and containers. For fuller, lacy blooms, look for the double-flowered cultivar ‘Snow Ball’.

Aside from its ornamental merits, feverfew is used to treat migraines and arthritis. It thrives in full sun to part shade and almost any well-drained soil. Feverfew is also drought tolerant once established.

9. Limonium

Also called sea lavender, statice, or caspia, Limonium offers vibrant flower spikes in summer and fall. Popular varieties like Limonium sinuatum provide large, cloud-like plumes of tiny purple or white blooms. The dried flower heads are prized by florists.

Give Limonium full sun, well-drained soil, and moderate water. Prune spent blooms to encourage more flowers. Limonium adds striking height and texture to borders and dried arrangements. It grows 1-3 feet tall depending on variety.

10. Candytuft

Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) is prized for its masses of small white flowers that bloom in spring against dark evergreen foliage. Tidy and compact, candytuft matures at 6-12 inches tall and 1-2 feet wide. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

For best results, plant candytuft from seed. It can reseed and spread readily. Use it as an eyecatching groundcover or edging plant. The blooms add lovely texture and color when mixed with spring bulbs and perennials. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.

There are many gorgeous flowers that can stand in for baby’s breath. Add wispy, delicate texture to your garden by incorporating Queen Anne’s lace, yarrow, ornamental onions, or white lace flowers. With their airy blooms and ferny foliage, these plants evoke the same romantic, carefree feeling as a cloud of baby’s breath.