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Gerald L. Klingaman
Caryophyllaceae
Saponaria officinalis
Bouncing Bet
An old-fashioned cottage garden plant that spreads rampantly by fleshy underground rhizomes, this upright herbaceous perennial is native from central Europe to western Asia. It is naturalized in much of North America. Heads of mildly fragrant pink flowers appear for many weeks in summer on spreading colonies of knee-high stems. The pointed oval leaves are mid-green. In gardens and in the wild it is often seen in the form of 'Rosea Plena', a cultivar with double pink flowers. Other named selections include 'Rubra Plena' (double rose-red flowers) and the variegated 'Dazzler'.
This tough and adaptable perennial does well in just about any sunny site that's not too damp. Use it with other vigorous plants in a cottage garden or naturalistic planting.
9 - 1
3 - 9
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Perennial
Full Sun
2'-3' / 0.6m - 0.9m
18"-36" / 45.7cm - 91.4cm
Summer
Europe, Western Asia
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Average
Loam, Sand
Drought
Fast
Average Water
Upright/Erect
Showy
White, Pink, Rose
Tan, Brown
Green
Yes
No
Single, Double
Medium
Matte
Mixed Border, Wildflower
Sometimes
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