Scientific Name Saponaria officinalis Common Name Soapwort

Perennial Flowers Consumer Hort Index - Fact Sheets

Characteristics Season summer Height 12-30 inches Hardiness USDA Hardiness Zone 2-8 Flower Color pink, white, red Soil moist, well drained soil Exposure full sun Propagation division of stolons spring or fall, seed, cuttings North Carolina Regions Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain Comments Soapwort is also called "Bouncing Bet" and "Lady by the garden gate." Plants are seen by the roadside and are considered weedy by some. Under cultivation it is an upright pretty perennial with pink, rose or white clusters of flowers. Soapworts get their name because they contain saponins in the plant sap which lathers when used for washing. Origin Southern Europe

Prepared by: orginally by Alice B. Russell, retired Extension Specialist, NC State University
                     maintained and expanded by Erv Evans, Consumer Horticulturist, NC State University

Images: ©Alice B. Russell and Erv Evans

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