Dicentra Spectabilis 1.5Gal

Latin Name: Dicentra spectabilis (also classified as Lamprocapnos spectabilis)

Common Name: Bleeding Heart / Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart / Common Bleeding Heart

Zones: 3–9

Height & Spread: 24–36 inches tall, spreading 24–36 inches wide

Descriptive Features: A beloved, old-fashioned cottage garden perennial native to Siberia, northern China, Korea, and Japan, cherished for generations for its uniquely charming, romantic blooms. Forms a lush, rounded mound of soft, deeply lobed, fern-like, blue-green foliage. In mid to late spring, long, gracefully arching stems dangle rows of distinctive, puffy, heart-shaped flowers in classic rosy-pink with contrasting white inner petals, appearing to drip like delicate lockets along the stem — one of the most recognizable and beloved flower forms in the perennial garden, popular for cutting as well. Attracts hummingbirds and early-season bees drawn to its abundant spring nectar. A cool-season bloomer that goes fully dormant and dies back to the ground by midsummer once temperatures rise, a natural part of its life cycle rather than a decline — best paired with later-emerging companions like hostas, ferns, or astilbes to fill the space it leaves behind. Thrives in rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil, and appreciates protection from hot afternoon sun, though it tolerates more sun in cooler climates. Deer- and rabbit-resistant, low-maintenance, and long-lived once established, though it resents being disturbed or divided too frequently. An excellent choice for woodland gardens, shaded borders, or underplanting spring-flowering shrubs and trees in part shade to full shade.

Photo by Clark Farms