Dicentra formosa | 'Pacific' or 'Red' Bleeding Heart

Very easy to grow, and a great plant for naturalising into a shaded garden Dicentra formosa are commonly called the ‘Western’ or’ ‘Pacific Bleeding Heart’. A number of forms with different coloured flowers are available for sale, and this is a remarkably hardy plant, coming back year after year with little extra care.

This is a spring to autumn flowering perennial, and you will that Dicentra formosa grows well in part shade. The flowering time will depend on moisture and the amount of shade.

Here in the foothills, it flowers for us twice a year in spring and also in autumn. Over summer it simply goes dormant and reappears as the weather cools down and moisture increases.

Attractive pink heart shaped flowers and ferny foliage make this a must for the shaded rock garden.

Excellent when planted beneath deciduous trees of in any area of dappled shade.

Varieties

D. formosa alba is similar except with white flowers.
D. formosa ‘Bacchanal’ is an attractive form with the same green foliage but brilliant crimson red flowers.

Landscaping Uses

Planted between Hostas and other shade loves this is an easy care species which spreads by underground rhizomes.

Remarkably drought tolerant as it seems to just go dormant in dry summer conditions, to spring back to life as soon as in rains.

Reaching around .4m in height in good conditions the flowers hang in a nodding manner and are backed by the mid green foliage. Also referred to as the ‘Pacific Bleeding Heart’ this is a native to California and nearby states.

How To Grow Dicentra formosa – Basic Care

These are hardier and more tolerant plants than Dicentra spectabilis. Smaller flowers however good ferny foliage and easy care.

Planting Dicentra formosa is relatively straightforward. Here’s how we plant it successfully:

Choose a cool, shaded position, with humus rich soil. It thrives under the canopy of treesand will grow in moring sun and afternoon shade Avoid hot direct afternoon sunlight.

The best time to plant is in early spring as the soil warms up. In warmer climates you can alsoplant it in winter.

Dig a hole about twice the size of the plant’s root ball. Mix in organic matter, trt compost or leaf mold along with some aged cow manure.

The plant’s crown (the point where the roots meet the stem) should be level with the soil surface, not buried too deep

Plant, backfill and water in with a liquid seaweed fertiliser.

A little moisture during dry summers and some fertilizer either in slow release form or a liquid seaweed.
Mulch when dormant to help provide a humus rich cool root run.
No extra care is required.

Climate Zones

Dicentra formosais a cool-loving plant and prefers temperate climates, it grows well in the UK, Australia and Europe in those cool to warm temperate zones. . It is regarded as hardy in USDA zones 4-9, so suited to much of the Pacific Northwest, California, and other mild regions.

Fertiliser

Although Dicentra formosa does not require heavy feeding it will benefit from some fertiliser. We use cow manure mixed in with mulch when we renew thw mulch in winter. You couls also use a light application of a balanced organic slow release fertilizer.

Landscaping Uses

This is low growing plant ant well suited for planting along the edge of garden borders or in clumps in an open woodland area. You can also use it to underplant taller woodland plants.