Pink Diamonds is a sun-tolerant bleeding heart that bursts into bloom in late spring and keeps flowering through the season. Its pink flowers open light and deepen, giving a two-tone look over fine, blue-green leaves.
Unlike the classic shade-loving bleeding heart, this alpine type prefers sun and sharp drainage and does not go dormant in summer. It blooms from late spring into fall, with a peak in early summer, and fits well at the front of a border, in rock gardens and in containers.
What it looks like
A tidy, rounded clump about 12 to 16 inches tall and 16 to 18 inches wide of very finely cut, lacy, fern-like leaves in blue-green with a soft, powdery bloom. Small, puffy, heart-shaped flowers about three-quarters of an inch long open light pink and deepen to medium pink, so each cluster shows two tones. The flowers dangle in small clusters from slender, arching stems held just above the foliage. At peak bloom in early summer the lacy mound is topped with many little hanging hearts.
Growing it with lavender
It shares lavender's liking for sun and drainage, and its pink hearts and blue lacy foliage add a delicate texture near lavender.
Care
Plant in full sun to light part shade in average soil with excellent drainage; this alpine type does not want a shady, damp woodland spot. Hardy in zones 3-9. Water during long dry spells, and trim off tired foliage in midsummer if needed to refresh the plant.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Dicentra
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Flower color: Pink with a light pink two-tone effect
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Foliage: Blue-green
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Growth habit: Tidy, rounded clump
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Mature size: 12–16 in tall × 16–18 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Late-May
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Peak bloom: Mid-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.