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Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart
Dicentra spectabilis
Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart
(Photo courtesy of North Branch Nursery)
Height: 3 feet
Spacing: 30 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 1b
Other Names: Common Bleeding Heart
Ornamental Features
Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart features delicate nodding pink heart-shaped flowers with white tips dangling from the stems from late spring to early summer. Its ferny compound leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen! As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.
This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.
Special Notes
Old fashioned varieties of bleeding hearts go dormant in the summer months.
