Gypsophila paniculata 'Flamingo'
A cloud of soft pink blooms on airy stems – perfect for borders, cutting gardens, and cottage-style displays
Overview
Gypsophila paniculata 'Flamingo' is a romantic and graceful perennial, much loved for its masses of tiny, pale pink flowers held aloft on fine, branching stems. A more colourful alternative to the classic white Baby’s Breath, ‘Flamingo’ creates a soft, frothy effect in the garden and is a favourite among florists and gardeners alike. It’s a long-flowering, low-maintenance plant that thrives in sunny spots and is ideal for mixed borders and cut flower displays.
Key Features
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Height: 0.5-1m (1.5-3 ft)
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Spread: 0.5-1m (1.5-3 ft)
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Flowering Time: Midsummer to early autumn (July to September)
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Position: Requires full sun
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Soil: Well-drained, alkaline to neutral soil; dislikes heavy or wet conditions
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Hardiness: H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
Flowers and Foliage
‘Flamingo’ produces an airy mass of small, blush-pink, semi-double flowers that appear in large panicles on slender, branching stems. These blooms are light and cloud-like, creating a soft haze of colour over the plant. The foliage is narrow, grey-green and relatively inconspicuous, allowing the flowers to take centre stage. The overall effect is delicate and romantic, adding lightness and movement to planting schemes.
Garden Uses
Perfect for cottage gardens, sunny borders, and perennial beds, Gypsophila 'Flamingo' works beautifully as a filler plant, providing contrast and texture amongst more boldly coloured perennials such as roses, salvias, delphiniums, and echinaceas. It is also highly valued in cutting gardens, where its long, branching stems and long vase life make it ideal for fresh or dried flower arrangements.
Wildlife Benefits
The small, nectar-rich flowers attract pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, supporting biodiversity and enhancing the health of the garden ecosystem.
Care and Maintenance
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Watering: Water young plants regularly until established. Mature plants prefer dry conditions and are drought tolerant
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Deadheading: Regularly remove spent blooms to extend flowering
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Feeding: Apply a balanced fertiliser in spring to support healthy growth and flower production
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Pruning: Cut back after flowering to encourage a second flush of flowers
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Support: May require light staking in exposed areas to prevent flopping
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Dividing: Divide clumps in spring or autumn if the plant becomes congested
Important Notes
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Gypsophila paniculata dislikes being moved once established, so choose your planting site carefully
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It prefers alkaline to neutral soils and may struggle in acidic conditions – consider applying garden lime if needed
Summary
Gypsophila paniculata 'Flamingo' is a beautifully soft and romantic perennial that adds texture, height, and a delicate pink blush to borders and bouquets. Loved by pollinators and easy to grow in sunny, well-drained spots, it’s an excellent choice for gardeners looking to create a light, airy feel in the garden or enjoy reliable flowers for cutting throughout the summer.
Buying Perennials from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our perennials after flowering and trim them back at the end of the season to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.
As a result, depending on the time of year you buy perennials, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.
From late autumn onwards and dependent on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
Perennials are described and classified differently by different gardeners but all would agree that they are plants that come into flower every year from early spring to late summer, the exact time dependent on variety and most die back to ground level in autumn and winter.
As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.
It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.
Always check eventual plant heights when planning borders to ensure that the taller plants are at the back (or at the centre of an island bed) followed by the medium and then smaller low growing plants.
Remember to deadhead perennials after flowering, trim back lightly in autumn as required to tidy the border and if necessary trim again in spring once the risk of heavy frost has passed.
If perennials get too big, start to flower less and less or if it seems to be dying off from the centre, consider dividing the plant but always check that the particular variety is happy to be divided and that you divide at the right time of year for the plant.
By using this simple guide and a little time, perennials can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.
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