Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart

Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart

There are few perennials that stand out like the Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart.  It captures the attention in the spring garden for sure!    We have had a grouping of three in one of our perennial gardens for years now and each spring it’s just like its brand new and we haven’t seen it before.  You look at it and marvel at what Mother Nature created.

It’s a shade perennial – growing great in part sun / part shade.  It will grow to a height of 24′-30″ tall and about 20″ wide.  Best placed in the back of the garden so that summer bloomers will be next in line for their show!  The bleeding heart will blossom for about a month and then provide interest with its foliage for another month or so.  In mid-summer the foliage will start to brown out and at that time I prune it off as it is sent its energy back down to the roots and will be dormant again until spring!

There is a cultivar of bleeding heart called “Gold Heart Bleeding

‘Gold Heart’ Bleeding Heart

Heart” which I have in our hosta garden.  With it’s bright gold foliage it offers a wonderful contrast with the colors of the various hosta.  The Gold Heart goes dormant later in the summer so most of the growing season offers the texture and color to the garden.