Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis,  is an old fashioned charmer that belongs in every garden.  It’s charming and also deer resistant a great combination for most gardeners.  Bleeding heart is also known as Dutchman’s breeches or trousers.  Bleeding heart has been reclassified in some books as  Lamprocapnos spectabilis.

 Classic bleeding heart has clusters of 1-2 inch pink and white heart shaped flowers with a little upward curl on each side at the bottom.  Flowers dangle along tall stems over fern-like blue-green foliage.  Bleeding heart blooms in early spring about the time mid-season tulips and daffodils bloom and in cool springs may continue blooming through June.  Some newer varieties will re-bloom several times if kept moist.

Gardeners will find bleeding heart offered in the catalogs and stores as bare root plants and as potted plants.   If bare root they can be planted in the spring as soon as the soil has thawed.  Potted plants already blooming should be planted out about the time forsythia blooms.  Bleeding heart is hardy to zone 4, which makes it safe for most of Michigan.

There are now varieties of bleeding heart that have white or red flowers and even a variety with lighter, yellow green foliage. Some of the newer, more sun tolerant varieties of bleeding heart have more tubular shaped flowers rather than heart shaped flowers. 

‘King of Hearts’ is a red flowered, heat tolerant hybrid.  ‘Aurora’ is a white flowered variety.   Rosy pink ‘Bacchanal’ is said to be the most sun and heat tolerant bleeding heart.  “Gold Heart’ is the variety with golden leaves.

Old fashioned bleeding heart can get to 2 feet tall in a favorable spot but many new varieties are more compact and get 15 -18 inches high.  Clumps slowly enlarge over the years.  Give bleeding heart plenty of room so it can develop its graceful arching form.

Traditional bleeding heart likes to be under deciduous trees where it will get some sunlight in early spring but then be shaded when the trees leaf out.  Newer varieties on the market will take some sun later in the season if they are kept moist.  Still a partly shaded to light shade location is the preferred planting spot.

Bleeding heart prefers a rich, moist organic soil.  If the soil is good fertilization probably isn’t necessary.   A nice layer of leaf mulch or finely shredded bark would keep the soil moist and cool around the plant’s roots.

Keeping bleeding heart plants well watered will ensure the best show of flowers.  If the plants are subjected to too much heat and dry out they will go dormant and the foliage will die back to the ground.  This tends to happen to older varieties anyway by mid summer.   They generally return in the spring when conditions are better, so don’t forget to mark their spot.

To prolong bloom and encourage repeat bloom in some of the newer varieties keep bleeding heart flowers trimmed off as they fade.

Leaf miners are bleeding hearts biggest pest.  These tiny worm-like critters leave white trails across the leaves.  A systemic insecticide could be used on the plants but the miners seldom do any serious damage to the plants health.

Bleeding Heart mixes well with spring bulbs and shade lovers like hosta and heuchera.  It is a cottage garden staple but looks good in any shady location.