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As sad as its name sounds, the Bleeding Heart flower adds that certain something to any garden with its unusual blooms. We present the most beautiful varieties, show how to plant and care for the Bleeding Heart correctly, and reveal whether the plant is poisonous.

The tender bleeding heart is robust and durable

The Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is not only a classic in cottage gardens. As a spring perennial, it impresses with its spectacular and filigree flowers.

Bleeding heart: heyday, characteristics and origin

The Bleeding Heart belongs to the poppy family and the subfamily of fumitory (Fumariaceae) and is often still sold in the plant trade under the old name Dicentra spectabilis. The plant originally comes from China and Korea, where it can be found in light, moist deciduous forests. The graceful perennial came to Northern Europe less than 200 years ago. It has always fascinated in gardens and parks with its special flower shape, to which it owes its dramatic name.

The perennial, bushy perennial reaches a height of up to 80 cm and forms arching, hanging shoots. During the flowering period from April to June, these bear eight to twelve heart-shaped individual flowers with a teardrop-shaped extension that looks like a teardrop flowing down. In the natural variant, the flowers are pink and white in color. The delicate leaves of the Bleeding Hearts are heavily pinnate, lobed and appear a fresh green. The leaves die off after flowering and the nutrients and reserves are drawn into the root ball.

The Bleeding Heart is originally from China and Korea

There is also a Japanese legend surrounding the characteristic flower shape: a young man tried to win the heart of a girl by giving her two rabbits, a pair of shoes and earrings. However, when she refused his gifts and thus his love, he stabbed his heart with a dagger, causing it to bleed in his grief.

Is the Bleeding Heart bee friendly? The perennial attracts a variety of insects,however, due to the elongated shape of the flower, it is primarily long-snouted insects that succeed in getting to the bottom of the narrow flower. Bumblebees use their mouthparts to bite a hole in the flower to get the nectar. The resulting entrances are then also used by bees and other insects.

The most beautiful varieties of the Bleeding Heart flower

There are many different varieties of Lamprocapnos spectabilis or Dicentra spectabilis, which differ primarily in the color of the flowers. In addition to the classic variety with the pink-white flower, there are also white-flowered, red-flowered and yellow-flowered varieties. In addition, the varieties sometimes differ in their growth height and leaf color. For example, the foliage of cultivar 'Goldheart' glows green-yellow and the foliage of cultivar 'Stuart Boothman' shows a bluish tinge.

Bleeding Heart: White Strains

  • ′Alba′: pure white flowers; foliage appears fresh green; slightly smaller than the original species with a growth height of 50 - 70 cm; Flowering period: May to June.
  • ′White Gold′: White flowers; green-yellowish foliage; growth height: 60 - 90 cm; the white flowers and light foliage make it stand out, especially in dark areas of the garden.
The delicate hearts hang close together on long curved shoots

Bleeding Heart: Red Strains

  • ′Valentine′: cherry red and white flowers; dark green, reddish shimmering leaves; growth height: 70 - 80 cm; Flowering period: May to June.

Other Dicentraspecies resemble the Bleeding Heart in their flower shape and extend the color spectrum of the Bleeding Heart flowers:

  • Dicentra formosa ′Luxuriant′: Dwarf heart flower; growth height: 30 cm; ground cover; flowers appear dark pink; Flowering period: June to July.
  • Dicentra formosa ′Burning Hearts′: Dwarf heart flower; growth height: 30 cm; ground cover; dark red flowers with a white edge; very long flowering period from June to August.
The Bleeding Heart in white is particularly effective in shady areas of the garden

Bleeding Heart: Black and Blue Strains

Black and blue Bleeding Hearts are offered again and again at various internet retailers without specifying the type. However, such plants are not found in professional perennial nurseries. The reason is simply that until now there is no blue variety of the plant, because breeding other flower colors into a plant is not that easy.
Closethe related species Dicentra formosa probably comes close to a blue color, which has violet-pink flowers and is only 20 to 30 cm high.

Bleeding Heart: Yellow Strains

Another representative of the Bleeding Heart genus is the species Dicentra scandens. This is a climbing heartflower species with yellow flowers.

Dicentra scandens ′Golden Tears′: Climbing Bleeding Heart; growth height: approx. 200 cm; Flowers appear bright yellow, flower tips turn slightly reddish; Flowering period: June to August. The climbing heart flower is not hardy and is an annual for us.

The Dicentra scandens also has heart-shaped flowers

Is the Bleeding Heart hardy?

The perennial sweetheart species mentioned are hardy in our latitudes. The plants tolerate temperatures in the double-digit minus range. To be on the safe side, cover bedding plants with a protective layer of leaves in the fall.

Plants kept in pots should be overwintered in a frost-free place, as on very cold winter days there is a risk that the entire pot and thus the roots will freeze through.

Plant Bleeding Heart

As soon as there is no more ground frost in spring, the right time has come for replanting. Although Bleeding Hearts are hardy, the large, heavily fertilized plants from many garden centers do not tolerate frost. The situation is different with the hardy specimens from professional perennial nurseries. You are on the safe side if the plants are not planted until mid-May. In earlier plantings, Bleeding Hearts should be protected with fleece or inverted clay pots. By planting early, the plant has enough time until the first winter to develop its roots and establish itself at its location.

As an alternative to planting, the Bleeding Heart can also be sown. The seeds of another plant can be harvested directly as soon as they are fully developed. Without storage, the seeds are simply scattered in the bed and the spot is marked. New young plants will develop from the seeds this year or next.

In the case of the 'Valentine' variety with cherry-red and white flowers, the leaves also shimmer slightly reddish

The perfect location for the Bleeding Heart

Because of its original origin, the Bleeding Heart prefers the edge of trees or beds in light semi-shade. Optimal are nutrient-rich, humic, moist andnot too heavy soils. A place in a perennial bed that is partially shaded by trees or shrubs and has good roots is therefore ideal. The substrate should be slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.

How to plant bleeding hearts

Dicentra spectabilis looks best in the flower bed as a single perennial. Other related species are welcome to be planted in small groups. One to three plants per square meter can be planted with a planting distance of 60 to 80 cm.
First dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Then give back enough of the excavated and loosened soil that the top edge of the root ball is level with the surface of the soil when you put it in. Then put the rest of the soil around the plant ball.
In order to cover the nutrient requirements and give the Bleeding Heart an optimal start, it makes sense to treat the soil with some compost or with a long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura organic flower fertilizer to enrich Then press down on the plant and water generously.

Bleeding hearts can be grown in pots and planted out or sown directly into the bed

Bleeding hearts can also be cultivated in a pot on the terrace or balcony, provided there is a place in the semi-shade and a sufficiently large planter is available. When choosing a planter, it is best to choose a plastic pot or a glazed clay pot. An open-pored clay pot dries out too quickly, which would not be good for the plant. Our peat-free Plantura organic potting soil is ideal as a substrate. It optimally supplies your plants with the necessary nutrients.

Care for Bleeding Hearts: Everything for watering, fertilizing and cutting

Especially at the beginning of the development, the perennial must not stand in the dry. The soil around the plant should therefore always be kept moist. However, do not water the Bleeding Heart too much, otherwise waterlogging can occur, which promotes root rot. Therefore, when choosing a planter, make sure that there is a drainage hole in addition to the size. For optimal water drainage, you can also place pieces of broken clay pots or expanded clay on the bottom of the pot.

Otherwise, the perennial is very easy to care for and frugal. To ensure the availability of nutrients, you should still put some compost, manure or our Plantura organic flower fertilizer in the soil in spring when growth startsincorporate. Its balanced nutrient composition keeps your plants he althy and resilient and promotes soil life.

Tip: To avoid seed formation, which costs the plant a lot of energy, you can pluck off the individual flowers that have faded. This even extends the flowering period.

Pruning is not necessary as the plant will retract into its storage roots after flowering. However, if the yellowed foliage spoils the appearance of your flower bed, you can cut off the withered parts of the plant close to the ground in late summer.

Is the Bleeding Heart poisonous?

The Bleeding Heart is poisonous. All parts of the plant and especially the roots contain toxic isoquinoline alkaloids, which can cause skin irritation when touched and when eaten can lead to pain in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and even colic, shortness of breath and collapse. Because of these properties, the Bleeding Heart was voted Poisonous Plant of the Year in 2022.

Because the roots in particular are poisonous, you should wear gloves when planting

The Bleeding Heart combines wonderfully with other hardy, robust perennials in the flower bed. These fill the gaps that arise with the retreat of the above-ground parts of the plant and also bring a colorful variety for insects. Here you will find information on other hardy perennials.

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Garden Design