A close-up of Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden's Gypsophila Covent Garden shows delicate white flowers with yellow centers, green stems, and buds, all set against a blurred green background.
A close-up of Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden's Gypsophila Covent Garden shows delicate white flowers with yellow centers, green stems, and buds, all set against a blurred green background.A hand holds a bouquet of delicate white Gypsophila Covent Garden flowers by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden, with slender green stems resting on a dark wooden surface.A pale yellow pitcher filled with Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden’s Gypsophila Covent Garden sits on a stone patio, surrounded by potted plants and wooden planters in a charming garden setting.Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden features delicate white blooms and green stems set against dark wood, creating a striking contrast that highlights the airy beauty of this classic annual.Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden forms a dense carpet of delicate white blooms with green stems and leaves. The small, yellow-centered flowers bring a natural, serene look reminiscent of a florist bouquet.Close-up of Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden, featuring delicate white annual blooms with fine petals and slender green stems, ideal for florist bouquets or adding elegance to a lush garden.A yellow circular logo features a black and white bee and "RHS PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS" text, ideal for highlighting Gypsophila Covent Garden seeds by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden—classic white annuals loved in floral bouquets.A cluster of delicate white Gypsophila Covent Garden flowers by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden blooms outdoors on slender green stems, set against a softly blurred background of foliage and sky.Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden features dense clusters of small white annual flowers with green stems and leaves, creating a delicate, lush look—ideal for florist bouquets.Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden produces dense clusters of small, delicate white blooms on thin green stems—perfect for sunny outdoor spots or as a soft accent in florist bouquets.Gypsophila Covent Garden by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden features dense clusters of small white annual blooms with delicate green stems and leaves, offering a soft, airy texture—ideal for natural outdoor settings or florists’ bouquets.
Annual Pollinator

Gypsophila Covent Garden

Gypsophila elegans 'Covent Garden'

£2.30approx. 1,000 seeds

Frothy mist of pure white open-faced blooms — the florist's secret tall annual Gypsophila that lifts every summer arrangement. Fast-growing, 6–8 weeks to flower.

Sowing months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height
45–60cm
Spread
30cm
Spacing
20cm
Position
Full sun
Soil
Loves alkaline/chalky soil; add garden lime on acid soils; well-drained
Grow guide
How to grow Gypsophila Covent Garden
Read the full guide →
About this variety

The annual gypsophila, and a different plant altogether from the creeping perennial most gardeners know. Tall at 45 to 60cm, with clouds of small open white flowers on fine branching stems, bred as a cutting strain with noticeably larger and whiter flowers than the perennial kinds.

This is the airiness in a florist's bouquet. Whatever else is in the vase, a few stems of this lift it and stop the arrangement reading as solid. It is also very fast, at six to eight weeks from sowing to flower, quicker than almost anything else you can sow.

The catch is that speed cuts both ways. Each sowing comes into flower fast, gives two or three weeks of cutting and then goes over, so a single spring sowing leaves you with nothing by July. Sow a short row every three weeks from March through June and you will have it all summer. It resents transplanting, so sow it where it is to grow. It wants sun and lean, free-draining, preferably alkaline ground; the name gypsophila means chalk-loving, and it means it.

Plant alongside

Gypsophila Covent Garden pairs beautifully with these cottage garden classics

Sweet Pea Bishy Barnabee Mix
Sweet Pea Bishy Barnabee Mix
£2.10
Cornflower Blue Ball
Cornflower Blue Ball
£2.30
Poppy Flanders Red
Poppy Flanders Red
£1.59

RHS Plants for Pollinators

This plant has been assessed by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended as especially beneficial to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Growing plants like this directly supports UK pollinator populations — something close to our hearts at Salle Moor Hall Farm, where we see the difference a cottage garden full of the right plants can make.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →