Why You Should Grow Beautiful Bleeding Heart Plants
Bleeding Heart plants are not only beautiful, they are easy to grow, and take minimal maintenance. The graceful blooms look like tiny little hearts hanging from a string!
Bleeding heart plants are the quintessential, old fashioned addition to your perennial garden. They date back to the early 1800’s, when they began appearing in shade gardens and wooded areas here in the U.S. Bleeding hearts bloom in the very early spring, they have lovely bright green leaves and heart-shaped flowers, and they are such a welcome sight after a cold winter.
As some of you may know, we lived in a 1960’s colonial style home. (We moved in the fall of 2021.) Along the side of our garage was a narrow walkway that led into our backyard. In between the house and the walkway, was a 2-foot wide garden bed. I planted hosta in the first section of the bed many years ago. The second section, which sits right outside our screened-in back porch, measured about 5′ x 2′. It was a shaded border, so it stayed dark and moist most of the summer. I could, of course, have planted hosta there too, but I wanted something different. So over the years, I tried to grow many things in that little spot. Nothing thrived until I tried bleeding heart plants.
So a few years before we moved, I picked up two bedraggled bleeding heart plants at the end of the summer. I dug up that little bed, added some compost, popped in the bleeding hearts, and hoped for the best. The very next spring, they were full and green, but there were only a couple of blooms. The second spring, which was 2020, they doubled in size, and the blooms were amazing.
In the spring 2021, they were once again big, beautiful, and blooming. If you have any shaded areas in your garden, or around your home, I encourage to plant this gorgeous flowering perennial!
How to Grow Bleeding Heart Plants
- Growing bleeding hearts is easy. Plant in the spring, but wait until the soil has warmed a bit, and there is no possibility of a hard frost. Try to find bedding plants that look healthy…although mine were the opposite, and they did just fine! Bleeding Hearts can also be started from bulbs, or bare-root plants.
- They love full shade, but will be fine in partial shade. They also love soil full of moisture.
- Bleeding hearts like rich soil, so if your soil is old and dry, add some compost.
- Water well the first year, apply a thick layer of mulch, and then bleeding heart plants basically take care of themselves.
- Bleeding heart plants are finished blooming by late spring, the foliage turn yellow, and the plant dies down. In early summer you can cut them back.
- It works well to mix bleeding hearts in with other shade-loving perennials that have a later bloom time. That way when they die down, you don’t have an empty spot.
- There is no need to split or move this plant. Once established, each clump likes to stay put!
Good Things About Bleeding Hearts
- Feel free to add this beautiful plant to your garden even if you have issues with deer and rabbits. The deer and rabbits don’t like them. Pests don’t like them much either!
- Bleeding hearts love the shade, so they pair beautifully with hostas, lungwort, astilbe, or ferns.
- Bleeding heart plants bloom in the very early spring, so they are among the first blooms you can cut and bring indoors. Cut the stems as low as possible, place them in a tall pitcher, and enjoy a stunning flower arrangement for up to a week.
- Like many old fashioned flowers, bleeding heart plants are known for their symbolization. The traditional plants with red and pink flowers symbolize romance and love. Plants with white flowers (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’) represent purity.
- My plants are Dicentra spectabilis ‘Lady’s Locket’ and they have dark pink hearts that hang gracefully from an arching stem.
More Cultivars
- Dicentra eximia ‘Fringed Bleeding Heart’
- Dicentra cucullaria ‘Dutchman’s Breeches’
- Dicentra formosa ‘Pacific Bleeding Heart’
- Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’
Word of Warning
Bleeding hearts are not safe for dogs or cats. They are toxic, and if consumed by a small pet, there will be vomiting and even convulsions. It’s very rare, but sometimes after handling, this plant will cause a light rash on human skin. I’ve handled my bleeding hearts many times, without gloves, and never had any adverse side effects. To be on the safe side, just make sure to keep pets and small children away.
Frequently Asked Questions
In what USDA zones can you grow bleeding hearts?
Bleeding hearts thrive in zones 3 – 9.
Can you dry and press a bleeding heart plant?
Just place the petals in between two pieces of wax paper, and put something heavy on top. It also works to place the pieces of wax paper in the middle of a large book. After two weeks, the blooms will be thin, perfectly pressed little hearts.
Can bleeding hearts grow in pots?
Yes…they do very well in containers. Make sure they start out with fresh, fertilized potting soil.
So what do you think? Do you have a spot where you could plant some old-fashioned bleeding hearts? Let me know in the comments…and thank you so much for stopping by. Until next time…
