Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Easily grown in a rich light soil. A very ornamental plant. The seed is difficult to harvest, it ripens and is shed very quickly. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Prick out the plants into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, grow them on for their first winter in a cold frame and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring. Division in early spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring. Root cuttings 7 - 10cm long in sandy soil in a cold frame.
Edible uses
Young leaves in spring - cooked.
Habitat
Woods and deep shady valleys.
Native range
E. Asia - N. China, Japan, Korea and Siberia. Locally naturalized in Europe.