With its arching bunches of heart-shaped flowers hanging from them, the bleeding heart is one of the most romantic flowering plants. The perennial produces its very attractive leaves relatively early in the year and the first flowers appear shortly afterwards. The heart flower is a typical cottage garden plant that is easy to care for and fits wonderfully into natural gardens.
What does the Bleeding Heart profile look like?
The bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is a clump-forming perennial that grows to 60-80 cm high and bears pink, white or cherry-red heart flowers from April to June. The plant prefers partially shaded, protected locations with humus-rich, permeable soil and moderately moist soil.
Plant profile
Systematics:
- Botanical name: Lamprocapnos spectabilis
- Order: Buttercups (Ranunculales)
- Family: Poppy family (Papaveraceae)
- Subfamily: Fumitory family (Fumarioideae)
- Genus: Lamprocapnos
- Type: Bleeding Heart
Botanical:
- Growth: Overhanging, clump-forming perennial
- Growth height: 60-80 centimeters
- Main flowering period: April to June
- Flower: Umbels
- Flower color: Pink, white, cherry red,
- Leaves: Pinnate, lobed, juicy green
Special features:
The Bleeding Heart is a cold germinator that you can propagate yourself through seeds. To do this, cut off the dead umbels and collect the seeds. If you sow these directly into the bed in autumn, germination is triggered by frost.
Origin
The bleeding heart thrives wildly in sparse deciduous forests in China and Korea, where it can be found at altitudes of up to 2,400 meters.
Location and soil
The bleeding heart also prefers a sunny and protected place in the garden. The soil should be permeable and humic, but at the same time have good water storage capacity.
Watering and fertilizing
The heart flower only tolerates drought to a limited extent, so always keep the soil moderately moist. Additional watering is required on warm days. However, don't water too much at once, but rather more often.
The bleeding heart is frugal and only needs fertilizer with compost in spring, which you work well into the soil.
Frost protection and pruning
Feel free to leave the bleeding heart to its own devices, pruning is not absolutely necessary. After the flowering period, the perennial retreats into the ground and the above-ground parts of the plant die.
The bleeding heart is completely hardy, only the shoots in spring are sensitive. If a late cold period is imminent, it is recommended to protect the foliage with a cover.
Diseases and pests
- If the forest plant is unfavorable or too dry, there is a risk of aphid infestation.
- Snails love the tender, young leaves.
- If the location is too wet, powdery mildew or stem rot often appear.
- Holes on the tips of the leaves do not indicate care errors. They come from earth bumblebees that nibble on the leaves to get the nectar.
Tip
All above-ground parts of the Bleeding Heart plant are poisonous. For this reason, the plant was voted poisonous plant of the year in 2017. Therefore, place the attractive perennial in places where children or pets will not accidentally snack on it.
