GROWING BLEEDING HEART – A SPRINGTIME BEAUTY
Need a beautiful and interesting perennial for a shade or woodland garden? Look no further than Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formerly Dicentra spectabilis), a spring time favorite. This charming plant has deeply lobed leaves and heart shaped flowers that line up and dangle from the stem like earrings. Bleeding Heart make a wonderful specimen perennial or a spectacular mass planting.
Growing Conditions
Bleeding Heart prefers partial shade to full shade lighting. It will burn up in full sun so do not even try. Preferred soil conditions are moist but well drained. Bleeding Heart is not a plant to try in wet soil situations.
Flowers
When you think of Bleeding Heart, you usually picture the lovely pink flowers but varieties that bloom red, white and purple are also available. This plant is a mid-spring bloomer, with most flowers appearing in mid-April through May.
Companion Plants
Because of Bleeding Heart’s rather dainty looking form and arching flower stems, growing it with complimentary forms and textures really help it shine. Consider using it among ferns and hostas try really make it stand out. This will create a very lush appearing garden.
Care
Bleeding Heart is truly a care-free plant. A mature plant grows to 3’ tall and wide so give it the space it needs when planting. There are no major pests that attack it. It is rabbit and deer resistant although they will taste the plant and generally move on. Bleeding Heart does die back to the ground mid-summer but so not worry when this happens. It will return to your garden next spring.
