The herbaceous plant, bleeding heart, has long been a favorite in perennial gardens. It’s easy to see how these plants, with their heart-shaped pink or white blooms, have captured the love of so many gardeners. The botanical name for the bleeding heart is Dicentra spectabilis. The species name, "spectabilis," means showy or spectacular and "dicentra" means two. The
name bleeding heart is derived from the blossom’s resemblance to a puffy pink heart with two drops at its tip.
Bleeding hearts are commonly grown as shade ornamentals and are native to North America and eastern Asia. They were brought to England from Asia in 1810 but did not get established. It was introduced again after a Royal Horticultural Society plant exploration trip to the Far East in 1846 and soon became a common garden plant.
Arching flower stalks emerge from this plant in the spring and blossoms appear from base to tip. Bleeding hearts grow in clumps from tubers, similar to peonies. They prefer part sun to shade and relatively cool conditions with filtered sunlight.
These plants grow 6-12 inches high and 1-3 feet wide. The most common color is pink, but they can also be found with red and white blooms. They are a low maintenance perennial and are deer resistant. Bleeding hearts exhibit no serious insect or disease problems but are susceptible to some aphid infestation.
Bleeding hearts prefer a moist, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH. The soil should be moist, but the foliage should be kept dry. These plants need an inch of water each week, either through rainfall or irrigation. When planted beneath trees or shrubs with thirsty roots, they may require watering twice a week. The roots should not be allowed to
sit in water, however. The plant may develop root rot if the soil is too wet for extended periods.
Bleeding hearts are ephemeral plants like many spring-flowering plants, which mean that once summer comes along, they go dormant. The foliage naturally turns yellow in mid-summer and dies back as the plant goes dormant. Ferns, Hostas, Heucheras, and other partial shade-loving plants will continue to grow over the summer and will cover the vacant space of the bleeding
heart.
In a good location and without deadheading of spent flower stalks, bleeding hearts may reseed themselves. The seedlings can be transplanted. Other than natural seedlings, the easiest way to get new bleeding heart plants is to dig up an existing plant and divide it. This should be done in early spring before new growth starts or after it has gone dormant.
While the classic old-fashioned bleeding heart is the typical one in the Dicentra family, there are other species worth considering, like the fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia). Similar in many ways to the traditional bleeding heart, fringed bleeding hearts come up in spring and bloom right away. The flowers aren’t quite as obviously heart-shaped, but they are no
less beautiful. One benefit to the fringed bleeding heart is that it is not an ephemeral, so it blooms in your garden until fall. The foliage on the fringed bleeding heart is smaller and finer than the old-fashioned type. The leaves are fern-like and make a beautiful companion plant. The foliage can be cut back to ground level when it turns yellow and brown in early
autumn. Root division is not necessary but can be done in the spring to propagate new plants.
The bleeding heart is perfect as a pressed flower. Pick flowers early in the morning after the dew has dried. Put the flowers between paper and place between the pages of a thick book. After several weeks, you’ll have perfect flat, papery hearts.
Bleeding hearts are an excellent addition to a flower garden as a companion planting. A truly unique-looking plant, bleeding hearts are guaranteed to add brightness to any moist shade location in your landscape.
