Hill Gardens of Maine - Dicentra

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Bleeding Hearts - Something Nice For Shade!
by Fred Davis, MG, Hill Gardens of Maine (To view other articles, click: Archives)

Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! Some of the most attractive and colorful sights in the shady garden are the graceful flowers of the bleeding heart (Dicentra).

Bleeding hearts are an old-fashioned perennial species which are not only easy to grow, they've been a popular favorite for many years. Native to Asia and North America, they are perfectly hardy right up into our rugged Zone 4.

The name Dicentra derives from dis, meaning twice, and kentron, indicating a spur—hence, two-spurs - referring to the flower's corolla.

An interesting side-note: one of its very old common names is "lady in her tub," or "lady in her bath." If you hold a dicentra flower by its spurs and gently pull them apart, there she stands, looking for all the world like she must be saying, "Close the door!" I thought you'd enjoy that!

The most frequently seen variety is the red bleeding heart (D. Spectabilis). This one will actually grow out in full sun but looks better and the flowers last longer if it gets shade from about noon, on. Flowering occurs during May and June but may continue throughout the summer if conditions are good and they're not allowed to set seeds.

Once one of these lovely plants goes in, it'll be perfectly happy in the same spot for years. We have a seven-year-old clump in our garden which spans about 24-inches at the ground, and every bit of 60-inches at about the three-foot level. (It would probably take a back-hoe to get it out if we ever decided to move it.)

A close relative is the white variety (D. Spectabilis alba). White bleeding heart is much better suited to heavier shade, better soil, and isn't quite as strong a grower in most gardens.

Still another cousin is the charming little fringed bleeding heart (D. Eximia), available in a number of shades of red from crimson to soft pink. Its finely-dissected leaves are gray/blue in color and have a ferny appearance. Flowers are similar to spectabilis but are smaller and face outward and upward, while their cousin's are pendulous—hanging down. Very nice...and they re-seed themselves quite handsomely, so allow them plenty of room back in the shade to "play."

Bleeding hearts like their soil rich and well-drained. Roots are long, thick and very brittle, so you'll want to prepare their home deep and add plenty of organic matter (compost). Soil ph isn't too important but they'll look and grow better if ph is adjusted to between 6.0 and 7.0 (slightly acid to neutral). Perhaps a friend or gardening neighbor has one of those electronic ph-meters. If not, I'd be happy to do a soil evaluation and run the test for you.

It would be a good idea, after you've thoroughly built your soil and planted a new bleeding heart, to mulch it with straw or pine needles for its first winter. After that it shouldn't need protection but an attractive shredded bark or leaf mulch would be beneficial, holding down weeds, conserving moisture and maintaining comfortable soil temperature.

Diseases and insects are not a serious problem with bleeding hearts. Aphids might make an appearance once in a while but are easily controlled with a fine spray of water. Stem rot and wilt are about the only diseases which attack. They can be effectively prevented with shredded bark mulch, providing adequate air circulation around the plant, and thorough drainage—so it won't be forced to spend most of its time with wet "feet."

Clumps can be divided in either spring or fall...I prefer to do it early in the spring so they have the whole season to prepare for next winter. Dig the entire clump out, gently shake most of the soil off and look for a logical place to cut with a sharp knife. Don't worry about pieces of root that break away...save them to bury about an inch or so deep near your new divisions. You could also harvest a few seeds late in summer, and sow them right away in a prepared bed. By spring you'll have more bleeding heart seedlings than you'll know what to do with.

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