Plants of the Heritage Garden—Bouncing Bet by Friends of the Garden

Bouncing Bet, or common 8cm in soapwort, is botanically known as length. Saponaria officinalis, ‘Rosea Plena’. It Ragged, is a member of the Pink family, double Caryophyllaceae, and like pinks the flowers flowers are delightfully fragrant. The are about name soapwort derives from the fact 2.5cm in that the stems of this plant, when diameter boiled in water, create a soapy effect. and are Historically, this plant was used in produced Europe to clean and finish woolen in clusters clothes. More recently, it has been among used for cleaning fragile antique the upper leaf axils and stem fabrics. Medicinally, a decoction from terminus. They are light pink and the plant’s roots has been used to highly fragrant. They flower in August alleviate poison-ivy rash and to reduce and into September and their overall discoloration of a black eye. effect is not unlike garden phlox.

In 1981, Dr. Aly O’Brien collected our Bouncing Bet is easily divided since plant from a roadside ditch in they have a somewhat running root Holyrood. The plant is known to have system, so allow them some space to been grown in Newfoundland since the spread. They can tolerate poor soil, mid-1800s. but perform better if given a good quality soil. The stems are somewhat Bouncing Bet is an upright perennial weak and may require some support. that can reach to 90cm. The sparsely They should be placed in full sun to branched stems have paired non- facilitate the development of stronger toothed, elliptical, hairless leaves up to stems.