Bleeding-heart (Dicentra spectabilis)



Sweet, heart-shape dangling blooms in rosy pink or elegant white, plus the graceful arcing sprays of powder-green foliage look gorgeous in the garden or a bouquet. By summer, the entire plant turns brown and withers away, leaving a hole that can be filled with a later bloomer such as a hardy geranium.

Where to Plant

Bleeding Hearts thrive in light to full shade and perfer cool weather. If it is grown in full sun, the foliage often has a yellowish color, and the plant may even go dormant in summer. It likes loose, evenly moist, organic soil that drains freely. Heavy, cmpacted clays can lead to rot problems. Common Bleeding Heart should be spaced to 2 or more feet apart.

Companions

• Small Ferns
• Hosta
  
• Lungwort
  
• Spring bulbs
  
• Creeping Phlox
  
• Columbine
• Cranesbill

Propagation

Division:  Bleeding Heart can be divided every few years to increase stock.  However, you can leave plants undisturbed for years withough affecting their health.  If you wish to divide a plant, dig up the clump just as new growth emerges in spring.  Shake off or wash away all excess soil, and cut the plant into sections (eyes) with a sharp knife, making sure that each division has several growth buds and a healthy root system.  Plant these immediately as you would a bare root plant.  In cold climates, spring division is much better, since it gives the plant a chance to establish a strong root system prior to the onset of winter.

Stem Cuttings:  Common Bleeding Heart can be grown from stem cuttings taken in spring or after flowering.  Cuttings root best if taken early in the season.  Take cuttings 2 to 3 inches long, making the cut a quarter inch below a leaf node.  Remove the lower leaves, and dip each cut end in rooting hormone.  Tap off any excess powder, place the cuttings in moist rooting medium, and keep the humidity around them high.  Once they have developed a strong root system, plant them in pots or a protected location in the garden.  Keep the soil around the young plants consistently moist.

Root Cuttings:  Common Bleeding Heart can be reporduced from root cuttings.  Dig up the plant in very early spring before active growth.  Remove several roots the size of your small finger, and replant the mother plant immediately.  Cut these roots into 2 to 3 inch sections, and plant each one vertically in a moist, well-drained medium in a flat or cold frame.  Treating cut ends with rooting hormone may speed up the rooting process.  Plance the end of the cutting that was nearer the crown up when planting.  Firm the medium around the cuttings, and keep it cool and evenly moist until new growth emerges.  After about 4-8 weeks, the young plants can generally be transplanted to pots or a protected garden location.