Bleeding Hearts are one of those quintessential spring plants that just make a garden feel complete. Depending on the variety you pick, these beauties can start brightening up your flower beds as early as April. You get to enjoy those iconic red or white heart-shaped blooms well into the summer, at which point the plant takes a little “nap” and disappears until next year.
Springtime Blooms
The Bleeding Heart (or *Lamprocapnos spectabilis* if you want to get fancy) originally hails from Northeast Asia, where its stunning blossoms can be seen all summer long. Luckily for us, it’s plenty warm enough in our neck of the woods for these perennials to thrive and put on a spectacular show if they’re planted in the right spot. They actually made their way to Western gardens about 200 years ago and have been a backyard staple ever since. Just keep in mind that exactly when they bloom depends on which variety you have in the ground.
Flowering Basics
Starting around April, the plant begins to send out long, delicate-looking arching stems that can reach up to three feet tall. Hanging from these stems are the little hearts, lined up perfectly like pearls on a string. By May, the Bleeding Heart is usually in full swing, showing off its classic pink-and-white colors. Each flower looks like a heart opening at the bottom, with a little white “drop” peeking out. While the stems last through the summer, some varieties will even keep popping out new hearts as late as October. Pro tip: if you regularly trim off the faded stems (deadheading), you’ll encourage the plant to grow new shoots and keep the blooming party going longer!
Once the flowering season wraps up, the Bleeding Heart gets ready for its long winter nap. The leaves and stems will start to yellow and eventually die back completely. Don’t worry, though—it’s not dead! Only the hardy rootstock remains underground, waiting for next year. To avoid having a “hole” in your garden layout once it goes dormant, I always recommend planting it next to some evergreen companions or late-season perennials that can take over the spotlight in the fall.
Varieties to Try
While the classic pinkish-red varieties are the most famous, the pure white ones are absolutely stunning and really pop in a shady corner.
- Alba: Pure white blooms that shine from April to June.
- Candy Hearts: A hybrid with pink to purple flowers that can bloom off and on from March all the way to October.
- Valentine: This one is a showstopper with reddish leaves, dark stems, and deep red hearts from May to June.
- Fern-Leaf Bleeding Heart: A dwarf variety with a mounded shape and violet-pink flowers from June to August.
- ‘Bacchanal’ (Fern-Leaf): Features gorgeous dark crimson-red flowers from June to August.
- ‘Aurora’ (Fern-Leaf): A lovely dwarf version with creamy, yellowish-white blooms from June to August.
