Dicentra spectabilis Goldheart

'Goldheart' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis, now called Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is a perennial plant of cool understory in Asia, enjoying partial shade or light sun.

Its fleshy crown needs good garden soil to develop well: well-drained, humus-bearing, rich, and light. It can rot in clayey and heavy soil. It also does not like hot conditions and dry soil.

It is a plant that undergoes summer dormancy: after flowering in spring, the Bleeding Heart falls asleep with the first heat, and all its above-ground parts dry up and disappear until the following spring. This is completely normal and allows this species to survive the hottest periods without problems.

If your soil is too poor or sandy, you can add a good layer of dead leaves in autumn, which will enrich and loosen your beds after a few years. Avoid synthetic fertilizers that only enrich the soil in the short term.
Weekly watering is recommended during the first summer to aid establishment. Stop watering when the leaves turn yellow and disappear.

The tender leaves of the Bleeding Heart are also quite sensitive to slugs and snails at the beginning of growth. Place ashes, eggshells, or other organic barriers around the crown.