The old-fashioned bleeding heart is a classic of the spring shade garden. In late spring, arching stems carry rows of puffy, rose-pink hearts with white tips, dangling like charms above lush, lobed foliage.
Plants form large, bushy clumps about 2.5 to 3 feet tall and wide. The flower sprays last about two weeks in a vase. After bloom, the plant usually fades and goes dormant until the next spring, so pair it with hostas, ferns or sedges that will fill the space.
What it looks like
A large, bushy, rounded clump about 30 to 36 inches tall and wide with smooth, fleshy stems. Leaves are soft, powdery blue-green to green, deeply cut into broad lobes, 6 to 10 inches long. Long, arching, leafless stems carry a row of 10 to 15 dangling, puffy heart-shaped flowers about an inch long, with rose-pink outer petals and a white drop-shaped tip hanging below. At peak bloom in late spring the arching stems form a fountain of pink hearts above the foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Bleeding heart needs shade and moist soil, unlike lavender, so plant it in a shady bed under trees or along a north wall with hostas and ferns.
Care
Plant in part to full shade in rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil. Hardy in zones 3-9. The plant often goes dormant by midsummer, especially in dry soil, so plant hostas, ferns or hardy geraniums nearby to fill the gap and keep it watered in spring to hold the foliage longer.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Lamprocapnos spectabilis
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Flower color: Rose pink with white tips
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Foliage: Soft blue-green
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Growth habit: Large, bushy, rounded clump
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Mature size: 30–36 in tall × 30–36 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: part sun to part shade, full shade
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Bloom start: Early-May
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Peak bloom: Mid-May
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly. Arrives as dormant, brittle fleshy roots with plump buds; handle gently and plant with the buds just below the soil.
Shipping note: Goes dormant after bloom; fall-shipped plants arrive as dormant roots with no leaves.
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