Well, heed the name...gypsophila...means lover of chalk...gypsum. Put a little bit around to make the soil more alkaline.
Yes...its' a pain to start from seed....best to do that inside in January.
But remember, it's hard to get a double Bristol Fairy...for some reason only 10% or so of the seedlings will turn out to be double.
And know that it has a tap root to China....so don't try to move it once it's settled in.
I think perhaps your roses are crowding her....but don't try to move it!!!
Linda c

Thank you so much, Linda. I will have to find some gypsum, lime or something, don't have any plain old chalk. All this and mine is just the plain old wild one that grows out west, lucky to find seeds for that, would prefer the Bristol Fairy. My landscaper newly out of school said it's an annual, no perennial of gyps grows here. I thought she was wrong and had done some homework on the web, but didn't want to argue with her. Maybe just stick a couple pieces of white chalk around it, hard to know what amount, think I read that treatment for something else.

Yes, the rose is probably crowding it, hope a little lime doesn't hurt that.

There was something about it here not too long ago but I could never see when it bloomed would think should be by now and for some time, maybe not all summer.

I did read about the tap root and not to move it, so I may have to start over giving it more space or give it up if the chalk/lime doesn't work. I prefer not start seeds indoors that early, but if all else fails, could try that.

My neighbor spread lime on his grass, didn't realize our soil was acid but it must be. It looks pretty good now but didn't earlier.

Well that statement by the "landscaper" would be reason for me never to use her again! There is a lot of difference in the appearance of gypsophilia elegans and gypsophilia paniculata!
Just look for a construction site and pick up a few chunks of dry wall...AKA gypsum board....crumble it around your baby's breath.
I hear that gypsophilia also starts easily from cuttings, but that's never worked for me.
Baby's breath and roses is a wonderful combination! I had a huge plant...enormous! I loved to fill bouquets with it and it was lovely dried. But, alas, it died in an awful drought we had. I thought with it's deep root it wouldn't suffer. I was wrong.
Linda C

Heh. The landscaper. I think she and her husband didn't want me. She did plant 12 roses for me (I thought I couldn't do that many in one day), quoted me a price then wanted more, and I did hold her to what she first quoted - verbally.

Then I wanted some bricks laid and some large trellises set up. Saw her husband out there measuring, never sent me an estimate. Figured my house and yard would make her look bad her first job. Not the first time somebody didn't want a job, and I'm nice to anyone who works for me, too nice sometimes.

Well the house looks beautiful, freshly painted, and I've done almost all the planting and digging myself, can't lay bricks. The lawn needs attention and more done on the house outside you don't notice like the paint, new steps were poured, custom iron rails front and back, garage entry door replaced. Old (youngish) neighbor came by and stopped to chat when she saw me outside, said it was the nicest house on the block now, well I thought hers was nicer and a couple other ones a lot newer, but mine is the only craftsman bungalow w/its original cedar shingles, some dents and scrapes but not curled and warped like some get over time.

Got a chunk of drywall in my hot little hand, partly crumbled when I tore the loose piece out. Thank you for thinking of that! Probably shouldn't tell it, divorced mom, 3 kids, son when teenager got mad and punched a hole in the hall by where I work/play on my computer, haven't gotten to having it fixed. Could fix it myself if I set my mind to it, pretty much know how to do it, just so much else to tend to by myself now, done lots of fixing myself in recent years, some I have to hire done. Son should do this for me, but he's done other nice things to make up for it. His dad had a terrible temper like that, too, and he didn't live around his dad since he was two. I had a bad temper, too, but didn't damage things since I was a kid. When my sewing went bad, I'd sometimes lose it and tear it up, couldn't get away with much though with my parents. My dad very rarely lost his temper but was never destructive or swore. Mom threw a pot at my sister lol, only time I ever saw her do anything like that, both been gone for years now, my mother 40 years this year.

The gyp I saw in a T&M catalog w/some sweet peas, but they didn't sell seeds for that kind. Took it to the nursery, one worker had some in his yard, but they don't sell it. The people in the florist shop section told me what it was.

lindac, let's see if this one will come back to the top, the last old thread I tried to revive rather than starting a new one did not work.

I have you to thank that my one plant is blooming now with the crushed dry wall cure. It's kind of a consolation after waiting so long. They're really tiny flowerets and not very showy, that's ok, too. No way am I moving it and it is crowded by the roses, so maybe they will get moved.

Only one other one came back this year and not sure it is still out there, need to check but didn't have buds on it when I last looked for them.

So thank you, and I have some more seeds for it, would like to get a couple more going but things are pretty crowded except in a couple spots.

Anyway, a hearty thank you even if it fails to come back next year. There are several stems, but not terribly full.