Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

*Designated an invasive species in the following states, no sale: OR, MI, IN, WV Soapwort, with its pale to bright pink flowers and clumping habit, makes for a beautiful ground cover, readily reseeding and spreading by rhizome and naturalizing in one’s garden.  Soapwort is best planted where you desire a patch of this vigorous plant.  It is hardy in poor soils and to some amount of foot traffic. Take note to shear blossoms promptly if you’d like to keep Saponaria officinalis from spreading out further. With its long blooming time and abundance of inflorescence, this low maintenance plant is beloved by a sundry of pollinators. Soapwort contains the compound saponin in its roots, a property that allows for this plant to produce bubbles and easily be made into a mild soap or detergent. The Latin word ‘sapo’ translates to ‘soap,’ and ‘aria’ to ‘like’ or ‘similar to.’ Ancient Greeks referred to it as ‘catharsis,’ for its cleansing and purifying qualities (both as a soap and perhaps for its