Dicentra spectabilis - Bleeding Heart

The Dicentra spectabilis, also known as Lamprocapnos spectabilis, and commonly referred to as Bleeding Heart, is a tall and elegant perennial, famous for its spring to summer flowers shaped like pink hearts with white tips hanging from gracefully arched flower stalks above beautifully cut foliage. Not demanding but hardy, this inhabitant of old gardens beautifully decorates slightly shaded areas, both in the garden and in pots.

The Lamprocapnos spectabilis is a botanical species native to forests in eastern Asia, southern Siberia, and Japan. It belongs to the Papaveraceae family, or the Fumariaceae family according to different classifications. It is a rhizomatous and deciduous perennial plant, which disappears in winter and reappears in spring. With rapid growth, the Bleeding Heart forms a bushy clump in a few years, reaching a height of 60 cm (24in) when in bloom with a spread of 40-50 cm (16-20in). This Bleeding Heart spreads laterally through trailing rhizomes, allowing it to expand if conditions are favorable, and giving it a lush appearance as long as the soil does not dry out. 

The stems of the Bleeding Heart, varying in color from brown to purple, emerge from the ground in spring. They bear divided, pinnate leaves with a delicate appearance. Their light color when they emerge evolves into a slightly powdery darker green in mature leaves. Flowering occurs towards the end of spring, as early as May depending on the climate, and can continue until July if the soil remains moist. Otherwise, the plant goes into dormancy in summer. At the tips of the flower stalks, 3 to 15 pendant flowers appear, measuring 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) in height and 2 to 3 cm (1in) in width. Each flower is composed of outer petals forming a heart shape, and inner arrow-shaped petals. In the species type, the flowers are a bright and fresh pink, but white at the "tip" of the heart. After pollination by insects, they give way to pods that contain round and black seeds enveloped in a white and mucilaginous substance.  

The Bleeding Heart is a very easy plant to grow in most regions, but it does not appreciate climates that are too hot and dry in summer. It finds its place in cottage gardens or naturalistic gardens, but always in a cool and shaded location. It can be associated with other perennials that do not mind the competition from tree or shrub roots, such as Solomon's Seals, hardy Fuchsias, corydalis, Creeping Bugle 'Atropurpurea', Japanese Anemones, or a carpet of periwinkles. In the foreground of a border, for example, it can be associated with Heuchera 'Black Out', Astrantia 'Moulin Rouge', or Carex comans 'Milk Chocolate'.

Most Bleeding Hearts go into dormancy in summer, but this does not have any negative consequences for the plants' recovery.