Bleeding Heart

Bleeding Heart  (Dicentra)

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) is a spring flowering woodland plant with fern-like foliage and arching stems with heart-shaped flowers. Sometimes also known as 'Lady in the Bath'. If you pick a flower and carefully pull it open, you will see a small figure which seems to be lying in the bath. Bleeding Heart is a plant for humus rich soil, not too dry and in half shade. The plants are fully hardy. Some Bleeding Hearts will retreat underground after flowering and re-appear in autumn or the following spring. Remember this when planting Bleeding Heart in the border. Plant next to plants that will fill up the gap later in the season, such as Cranesbill (Geranium). Bleeding Heart also likes being planted under shrubs where the profit from the dropped leaves. Nice neighbour plants for Bleeding Heart are Hosta (Hosta), Coral Bells (Heuchera) and Great Forget-me-not (Brunnera).