With its arching clusters, from which heart-shaped flowers hang, the Bleeding Heart is one of the most romantic flowering plants. Relatively early in the year, the perennial puts out its very attractive leaves and shortly afterwards the first flowers appear. The heart flower is easy to care for and is a typical cottage garden plant, which also blends in wonderfully with natural gardens.
A bleeding heart in the garden delights the gardener's heart
plant profile
system:
- Botanical name: Lamprocapnos spectabilis
- Order: Buttercups (Ranunculales)
- Family: Poppy family (Papaveraceae)
- subfamily: Fumes (Fumarioideae)
- Genus: lamprocapnos
- Type: crying heart
Botanical:
- Growth: Overhanging, clump-forming perennial
- growth height: 60-80 centimeters
- Main flowering period: April to June
- Blossom: umbel grapes
- flower color: pink, white, cherry red,
- Leaves: Pinnate, lobed, succulent green
Special properties:
The Bleeding Heart is a cold germ that you can propagate yourself from seeds. To do this, cut off the faded umbels and collect the seeds. If you sow them directly into the bed in autumn, frost will trigger germination.
origin
The bleeding heart thrives wild 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 sheltered 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, rather more often.
The Bleeding Heart is undemanding 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 itself, a pruning is not absolutely necessary. After flowering, the perennial retreats into the ground and the above-ground parts of the plant die off.
The Bleeding Heart is completely hardy, only the budding in spring is sensitive. If a late cold period is announced, it is advisable 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 at the tips of the leaves do not indicate care errors. They come from bumblebees that nibble on the leaves to get the nectar.
tips
All aerial parts of the bleeding heart plant are poisonous. For this reason, the plant was voted poisonous plant of the year in 2022. Therefore, place the attractive perennial in places where children or pets cannot accidentally nibble on it.