Baby's Breath for Christmas: The Forgotten Flower I'm Using Everywhere

Fresh-cut baby's breath is an easy, affordable flower to use for Christmas decorating, with tiny white blooms that resemble delicate flecks of snow. Also known as gypsophila, baby's breath is available year-round, easy to work with, and naturally dries in place. Use fresh stems on Christmas trees, in garlands, or as a simple accent at holiday place settings for a soft, snowy look that can last throughout the season.

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At Christmas we talk about amaryllis, paperwhites, hydrangeas, evergreens, poinsettias, and all the usual stars. Meanwhile, baby's breath is sitting at the flower shop (or grocery store) year-round, inexpensive and accessible, waiting for someone to stop treating it like filler.

And honestly, I understand how it got that reputation. As a former floral designer from the 80's, baby's breath takes me right back to those old-school arrangements filled with carnations, leather leaf, and baby's breath. For years it was the flower tucked between the "real" flowers, there to fill empty spaces rather than get much attention of its own.

But take everything else away and let baby's breath stand alone, and it's a completely different flower.

Fresh baby's breath, or Gypsophila, is delicate, airy, and almost cloud-like when it's used in abundance. The tiny white blooms remind me of little snowballs and flecks of falling snow, which is exactly why I've fallen in love with using it at Christmas.

Last year, I tucked fresh baby's breath throughout my Christmas tree and loved the soft, snowy effect it created. This year, I'm taking it a little further with a fresh baby's breath garland for my mantel, along with simple sprigs for holiday place settings.

It's easy to find, easy to work with, and beautiful even as it begins to dry. For a flower that's spent so many years in the background, I think baby's breath deserves a little time in the spotlight this Christmas.

Watch: 5 beautiful ways to decorate with baby's breath for Christmas

Why fresh baby's breath works so beautifully for Christmas

Fresh baby's breath has a natural wintery quality that makes it especially pretty for holiday decorating. Each branching stem is covered in tiny white blooms that remind me of little snowballs or flecks of snow, especially when they're used en masse.

It's also wonderfully practical. Fresh baby's breath is available year-round, easy to find at florists and many grocery store flower departments, and generally more affordable than many of the flowers we associate with the holidays. The stems are lightweight, flexible, and easy to separate into smaller pieces, which makes them especially useful for decorating Christmas trees, creating garlands, or adding a simple floral touch to a place setting.

Botanically known as Gypsophila, baby's breath also has one more advantage for holiday decorating: it dries remarkably well right where you use it. The blooms won't stay crisp and bright white, but they'll hold much of their shape and texture as they dry, something I'll talk more about below.

Decorating a Christmas tree with fresh baby's breath

Last Christmas, I added fresh baby's breath to the Christmas tree in our bedroom, and I loved the light, airy texture it brought to the branches. Against the dark evergreen, the tiny white blooms almost look like little clusters of snow.

Baby's breath is incredibly easy to add to a Christmas tree because the stems are so lightweight. I simply cut small bunches just below the blooms and rested them directly on the branches. There's no need to wire or attach them.

You can place the clusters strategically around the tree in rows to create the look of a loose floral garland, or do what I did and distribute them more organically throughout the branches. I like the less structured approach because the baby's breath becomes another layer of texture rather than a defined garland.

Layering is one of my favorite tricks for creating a full, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. I share more about how I approach layering in my step-by-step guide to decorating a Christmas tree, and fresh baby's breath is an easy way to add one more layer of soft, airy texture.

Because there's no water source, the fresh baby's breath will eventually dry right on the tree. Mine gradually changed from bright white to a softer creamy white, but it continued to look pretty throughout the Christmas season. I also experienced very little shedding while the tree was up. Most of the dried flowers dropped when I removed the baby's breath while taking the tree down.

For this tree, I also skipped a traditional tree skirt and placed the tree inside a large planter pot. It's one of my favorite ways to give a Christmas tree a more finished look, and I'll link to both my Christmas tree planter and tree skirt alternatives here.

Using baby's breath on a Christmas table

You don't need a full floral arrangement to bring fresh baby's breath to the Christmas table. Sometimes a single sprig is enough.

For my holiday place setting, I'm keeping it simple by tucking a small piece of fresh baby's breath into a folded linen napkin and tying it with velvet ribbon. Against the layered dishes and holiday linens, those tiny white flowers add just a touch of softness and texture without overwhelming the place setting.

This is also a nice way to carry baby's breath throughout your Christmas decorating. If you've used it on your tree or in a garland elsewhere in the room, adding a small sprig to each place setting quietly ties everything together.

And because you're only using a small piece at each setting, a single bunch of baby's breath can go a long way.

How to make a fresh baby's breath garland

Making a fresh baby's breath garland is surprisingly simple. You're essentially creating small bundles of flowers and layering them one after another similar to how I made my herb garland, securing each bundle with thin floral wire as you go. Once finished, the stems and wire disappear beneath the flowers, leaving you with a full, airy garland of tiny white blooms.

What you'll need

• Fresh-cut baby's breath (see my note below to determine exact mount of baby's breath)
• Thin brown or green floral wire (I find a spool easier to work with than individual pieces, but either will work)
• Floral snips or sharp scissors (I use these)
• Battery-operated micro lights, optional

Prep: Before getting started, remove the baby's breath from its packaging, give the stems a fresh cut, and place them in water so they're well hydrated while you prepare your supplies. If your flowers came with a packet of flower food, add it to the water according to the package directions.

Step 1: Cut the baby's breath into smaller clusters

Cut the larger stems into manageable pieces, leaving enough stem beneath each cluster of blooms to secure with floral wire.

Step 2: Gather the first bundle

Hold several pieces of baby's breath together to create a small, full cluster. Wrap thin floral wire firmly around the stems to secure them.

Step 3: Add the next cluster

Lay another cluster over the stems of the first bundle, with the flowers facing in the same direction. Wrap the new stems with the same wire, keeping the wire close to the base of the flowers.

4. Step 4: Continue building the garland

Keep layering fresh clusters over the previous stems and wrapping with wire as you go. Overlap each bundle enough to conceal the stems and wire beneath the baby's breath.

5. Step 5: Finish the end of the garland

When the garland reaches your desired length, secure the final cluster with several wraps of floral wire and trim away any excess wire.

6. Step 6: Add the micro lights (optional)

If using lights, gently weave the thin wire through the finished garland, keeping it close to the center so the wire disappears among the stems while the tiny lights peek through the flowers.

How much baby's breath to buy: The amount of baby's breath you'll need depends on how full your bunches are and how dense you want your garland. Rather than shopping by number of packages, I recommend looking at the actual volume of flowers you're buying. For reference, my finished garland measured approximately 3 feet long, and I bought 6 bunches of baby's breath. Each bunch contained 5 stems.

Ways to use your baby's breath garland

Drape the finished garland across a mantel for a soft, snowy Christmas display, or run it down the center of a holiday table, weaving it around candles and other decorations. The tiny white flowers are beautiful on their own, but adding warm micro lights gives the garland a soft glow in the evening.

How fresh baby's breath dries and what to expect

One of the reasons fresh baby's breath works so well for Christmas decorating is that you don't necessarily have to remove it once it begins to dry. Left without water, the flowers gradually dry in place while retaining much of their overall shape and airy texture.

There are some changes to expect. The tiny white blooms become smaller and a bit more shriveled, and the bright white color gradually shifts to a softer cream. It won't look exactly like fresh baby's breath, but in my experience, it still looks pretty enough to leave in place throughout the holiday season.

I also found that my baby's breath shed very little while it was drying on my Christmas tree. Most of the shedding happened when I removed the dried stems at the end of the season, so that's something to keep in mind when it's time to take your decorations down.

For the garland I'm making this year, I'll be paying attention to how it dries on the mantel and whether the flowers, wire, and overall shape hold up as well as the loose clusters did on my tree.

Where to buy fresh baby's breath

Fresh baby's breath is one of the easiest flowers to find year-round. Check your local florist, grocery store floral department, flower market, or warehouse club. I usually look for bunches with plenty of open white blooms along with a few buds and stems that look fresh and green.

When shopping, be sure you're buying fresh-cut baby's breath, rather than dried gypsophila, which is also widely available. For all of the Christmas decorating ideas in this post, I'm starting with fresh flowers and allowing them to dry naturally in place.

Fresh baby's breath Christmas decorating FAQs

More holiday decorating inspiration to explore

At Christmas, we hear so much about amaryllis, paperwhites, hydrangeas, poinsettias, and evergreens. Meanwhile, baby's breath has been there all along, inexpensive, easy to find, and waiting for someone to stop treating it like filler.

Whether it's tucked into the branches of a Christmas tree, added to a holiday place setting, or gathered into a full garland, those tiny white blooms bring such a soft, snowy quality to Christmas decorating.

Sometimes the flowers we've overlooked are the ones worth looking at again. This Christmas, I'm giving baby's breath its moment.

Happy decorating!