Otherwise they need no fertilizer or special care. In the fall put a couple inches of compost in the area of the plants base. If it becomes dry in the summer, the roots should be kept moist and not be allowed to dry out. A good mulch for bleeding hearts is pine needles or pine bark. Plant the next day, by pouring the root solution into the dug hole, and plant the bare root two to three inches (not more) from the soil surface, water well and in a few weeks they will be up and growing. Soak these overnight in a liquid root stimulator. If you buy a bare root plant, you will note that it is a brittle, fleshy root with several eyes. They reseed themselves also, and while some people think this is a problem, it is easy to dig up the sprouts when they are four to six inches high and share them with friends or start a new clump for yourself. If you are going to divide them, the early spring when they are just emerging is the best time to move them. Because the foliage disappears in summer it is wise to mask the yellowing foliage with later emerging shade-loving plants such as coral bells, foamflower, astilbe, ferns, hosta or monkshood.īleeding heart is easy to grow. Perennials which bloom about the same time as the bleeding heart include pulmonaria, brunnera and bergenia. Usually old fashion bleeding heart has quit blooming and the entire plant has turned yellow and almost disappeared by mid-summer. Morning sun is good, but afternoon sun is too hot. However, if they stand in water their roots will rot. They prefer to light to all shade, and like slightly acidic, moist, well-drained soil. Other references of the bleeding heart are 'lady's locket', 'lady in a boat' and if you gently pull the two pink tabs apart there is 'a lady in a bathtub'.Īnother special feature of bleeding heart is the fact that it blooms in the spring and continues to bloom for several weeks if the temperatures remain cool. The blossom consists a pillow-like flower with a single drop dangling on the bottom of each bloom. Dicentra comes from Greek words dis meaning 'two', and kentros meaning 'spurs' referring to the flowers unusual shape. Bleeding hearts are a graceful woodland plant that has been around for more then a century, with more than 150 species from which to choose. The dangling red and white hearts begin to appear along arching stems even before the foliage leaves have completely emerged.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis, zone three to nine) is a classic perennial which is often given for Mother's day because it symbolizes undying love.

Wild bleeding heart vine