Bleeding Hearts…

One of my most favorite plants ever is the bleeding heart…You can take your pick of pink or white with green foliage. There are a few varieties of this plant, but I honestly like the two featured below.
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The bleeding heart does well (in Washington State) in full sun or in deep shade.  If planted in full sun this plant flowers earlier than other seasonal perennials.    If it is planted in the shade, it blooms later and longer sometimes throughout much of the summer.  The websites say it needs rich loose soil that is evenly moist – however in my garden, much of my soil is clay and moist & does fantastic everywhere I plant it.
One special aspect of the bleeding heart is that when the weather warms up and and the plant begins to die back. You can cut the plant back to the ground and don’t have to have dried up foliage in your garden. I have heard that these plants will self germinate if left undisturbed – but I have never had such luck.It will grow back the following year with a vengeance!
I love planting the bleeding heart throughout my entire garden…it is a fantastic filler and brings a spot of color to an otherwise bare spot in the garden.  It is not invasive by any means and compliments many other plants around it.
It does not spread by seed but you can propagate it quite easily!  Below you can see the plant who has returned from last season… If you look closely you can see the plant coming up almost in sections.
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To break this plant up and spread the beauty around there is no need to purchase more from the local nursery.  I will show you how.  Just place your shovel strait down in the ground between the plant to separate.  (you may even hear a snap – like  a carrot).  Then from the other side, gently loosen the soil to life up the fractured segment. 
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You can see when I just did the one section, it ended up breaking up the plant enough to give me three three new plants.  See below:
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Simply place the root in the ground with the same amount coming out of foliage that was coming out of the dirt before & you will have new growth above and below dirt.  This new plant will start it’s own new root system and will spread over the coming years. 
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By summer time the newly transplanted bleeding heart plant should be a great filler in your garden too!
The picture below was taken May 7th of last year which is just a couple months after I transplanted  the bleeding hearts starts (like I showed you above)…what a difference a couple months makes in the garden.
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Hope this helps you spread the beauty of the bleeding heart too! xoxo, Tracie
Linking up to my Garden Party, Cottage Flora Thursday’s also, to see where else I am linking to this week – please check my “Cottage Links” label…

Comments

Char said…
Yours and mind both!! Nature really picked a winner when flowers are hearts. Love that, Char
NanaDiana said…
Love bleeding hearts- They always remind me of my mother's gardens...she had 3 or 4 big lush bleeding hearts. Gorgeous! xxoo Diana
Victoria said…
Hi Tracie..So gorgeous...I love your bleeding hearts..super magical and beautiful! Lovely post!!Wonderful garden!
Have a magical day!
Victoria~
Hi Tracie,
I love bleeding hearts, I really need to do some dividing!! I can't wait to watch your garden unfold this year!
Hugs,
Bella
Ricki Treleaven said…
I like bleeding hearts, too!
I find these among the most unusual of flowers. I've seen some quite tall bushes in wet climates. They look charming in your garden!
Becca's Dirt said…
Thanks Tracie for this info on the Bleeding Heart. I planted some year before last and they didn't do anything. I'm gonna get me some more and see how they do.
Donna said…
Tracie, Your bleeding hearts are lovely! My granny first told me about them...she had a yard full of red ones. I imagined such a romantic tale after hearing the name. I was about 13.. :o)

Thanks for hosting the garden party. You're a gem!

xo
Donna @ Comin' Home
Unknown said…
Dear Tracie, I must own a white bleeding heart soon! I will be out looking for one as soon as our nurseries open for the season. It is so beautiful. I love the bleeding heart and mine gives me so much pleasure.
Hugs to us, and our gardens..
~Shirley
Kathy said…
I love Bleeding hearts - I lost mine that I brought over from our previous house - must get a replacement -
Hope you have a great week,
Kathy
Thanks for showing all of us how to "split" the bleeding hearts. Mine are actually in a small confined area and are a much smaller variety.

Yours look beautiful and it's making me think I need to look for some other varities, especially the white ones!

~Chris
Dicentra is an amazing plant! Thanks for the glimpse of the emerging ones, and the views of them in their full glory!
Jan said…
Thanks for stopping by! I'll look for your 'garden party' later in the spring. Sorry I'm writing on an 'old post', but the Bleeding Heart topic caught my attention. I like how you've shown the way you divide your plants. That's pretty much how I divide my hosta...just slice right down through the plant when it's coming up. I just might try this with a couple of my BH's...although at this point they are up pretty high and I might wreck all the foliage that is there. If I don't do it this year, I'll keep it in mind for next spring;-)
Jan said…
Thanks for stopping by! I'll look for your 'garden party' later in the spring. Sorry I'm writing on an 'old post', but the Bleeding Heart topic caught my attention. I like how you've shown the way you divide your plants. That's pretty much how I divide my hosta...just slice right down through the plant when it's coming up. I just might try this with a couple of my BH's...although at this point they are up pretty high and I might wreck all the foliage that is there. If I don't do it this year, I'll keep it in mind for next spring;-)
deb said…
I'm so jealous! I have tried and tried to grow bleeding heart, but theyjust don't like it here or maybe its me. Yours are beautiful!
*hugs*deb

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