Dicentra
( dye - SENT - ruh )
At-A-Glance InformationCommonly referred to as Bleeding Hearts, these flowering herbaceous perennials need partial or full shade and regular water. Their flowers will attract birds and butterflies to your garden, and most species are native to North America and eastern areas in Asia. They are delicate-looking plants with graceful, very divided foliage. Unique flowers are shaped like hearts and hang from horizontal, arching, leafless stems. Blooms can come in pink, rose, yellow or white. Dicentra are fantastic shade-loving plants perfect for cottage and wildflower gardens, and also do well in mixed beds and in containers. Take care when planting Dicentra in your garden, as all plant parts are poisonous if ingested by humans or pets.
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Dicentra Species and Varietals
Dicentra includes just 8 species and is a member of the plant family Papaveraceae. Dicentra grows best in zones 1-9 and 14-24, though this varies somewhat by species. See the descriptions below for more information. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
Dicentra eximia (Fringed Bleeding Heart, Turkey Corn, Wild Bleeding Heart) These are native to the north-eastern United States, and form clumps 1.5 feet high and just as wide. Leaves are blue-grey and flowers are a deep rosey-pink. Blooms from the middle of spring into summertime. Can be cut back for a repeat bloom. Can self-sow. |
Dicentra formosa (Western Bleeding Heart, Pacific Bleeding Heart)
This plant is native to woodlands along the Pacific Coastline, and gets 1.5 feet tall and 3 or more feet wide. Foliage is bluish green, and leafless flower stalks hold pale to deep rose blooms in spring. It can spread freely by rhizomes. Dicentra formosa oregana (pictured) gets to 1 foot high and has silver-green leaves and creamy flowers tipped with purple. Other varieties are outlined below.
This plant is native to woodlands along the Pacific Coastline, and gets 1.5 feet tall and 3 or more feet wide. Foliage is bluish green, and leafless flower stalks hold pale to deep rose blooms in spring. It can spread freely by rhizomes. Dicentra formosa oregana (pictured) gets to 1 foot high and has silver-green leaves and creamy flowers tipped with purple. Other varieties are outlined below.
Dicentra Hybrid Varieties
These flowers are crosses between Dicentra eximia and Dicentra formosa, and are commonly cultivated species that get to about 1.5 feet tall and about 2 feet across. They bloom from spring to summer. Selections are outlined below.
These flowers are crosses between Dicentra eximia and Dicentra formosa, and are commonly cultivated species that get to about 1.5 feet tall and about 2 feet across. They bloom from spring to summer. Selections are outlined below.
'Bountiful'
Foliage is dark blue-green and flowers are purple-pink to dusky red. |
'King of Hearts'
Blue-green foliage with rose-pink flowers. Similar varieties with different flower colors are 'Candy Hearts' (with dark pink flowers) and 'Ivory Hearts' (with white flowers). |
'Luxuriant'
Best in zones A1-A3, 1-9 and 14-24, with medium-dark green leaves and red flowers. |
Dicentra peregrina (Komakusa) These plants are native to Japan and nearby areas in east Asia. The specific epithet peregrina means 'exotic, alien, strange, or from foreign lands', in Latin. This plant forms a basal tuft of grey-green foliage and reaches a few inches tall when in bloom. Flowers are rose-purple, white, creamy-yellow or pink, blooming from spring to summer. |
Dicentra uniflora (Longhorn Steer's Head) These plants are native to gravelly soils in the mountainous areas of the western United States, and reach up to 4 inches tall when in bloom. Flowers are pink to white, blooming from February through June. Leaves are finely divided. These flowers have long, recurved outer parts that make the individual flowers look like the skull of a steer, hence the common name Longhorn Steer's Head. |
Caring for Dicentra
They need light, moist, porous soil, and should never be left to stand in water. Foliage dies down even in mild-winter climates.
Propagation
Problems and Pests
Gallery
Videos
A video all about growing camellias successfully
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Propagating camellias
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Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 287, Dicentra
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