Bleeding Heart Plant – Growing the Shade Loving Perennials
The old-fashioned bleeding heart is a perennial that’s native to eastern Asia, from south of Siberia to Japan and are famous for their beautiful heart shaped flowers. These plants love to grow in the shade and are wonderful addition to any type of garden, especially during spring and summer.
Bleeding Heart Plant – Gracefully Poetic Plants
Lamprocapnos spectabilis or the bleeding heart plant is often associated with love and poetry and is also known by the names of Venus’s car, Lyre flower, Dutchman’s trouser and Lady in a bath. It is easy to grow bleeding hearts because of their unfussy growing habits. The plant can grow well in different types of soils, but one that is well-drained, medium wet and organically rich works best. You also should remember that a bleeding heart likes its shade, so plant it in an area which gets little or partial sunlight and can be the perfect shaded place for it. Make sure that you de-weed and clean the soil before planting and it is also a good idea to add a layer of organic mulch and turn the soil over before you plant the bleeding heart plant. Bleeding hearts are wonderful ornamental plants, especially in shade gardens. The foliage dies after flowering in summer, leaving vacant spots in your garden. The best remedy is to plant perennial flowering plants near your bleeding hearts for summer beauty. But the plants themselves are so beautiful that most people like to use them as specimen plants and plant them individual throughout their home or garden.
Bleeding Heart Flower – Heart Droplets
Heart-shaped and drooling, the bleeding heart flower gets its name from its unusual flower. The reason it’s called a ‘bleeding’ heart is because of the little dangling bit of the petal that looks like a drop of blood. The 1 inch sized flowers are generally rose pink, white or red while the inner petals are white that protrude when in full bloom. There are many varieties of the bleeding heart flower. The Adrian bloom has crimson flowers, while the Luxuriant variety has cherry red flowers. The Alba, Snow Drift and Pantaloons have white blooms and the Gold Heart has yellow leaves. Bleeding hearts are extremely popular ornamental plants because of their beautiful flowers, but the plant can be toxic to some people when they come in contact with it. The flowers are spring varieties and die after the season unlike perennial varieties. They are pollinated by insects and air so don’t shoo away bees or butterflies if you see them hovering over the plant.
Bleeding Heart Vine – Tropical Beauty
There are over 400 species of this plant, and the bleeding heart vine originates from the warm climate of West Africa. These flowers are summer flowers, growing in white and red clusters on twining vines. Also known as the glory bower, the vine is a different genus than the Bleeding heart and has beautiful showy blooms. The vine is basically a summer plant, and can be used as a climbing ornamental plant for gardens and on arbors or window lattices. The plant requires a good well-drained soil and sunny conditions for growing. It also needs a lot of water, mulch and organic fertilizer. Pruning the vine in late winter will encourage new growth. Remember not to use cold or frigid water for the plant as this will harm and most likely kill your vine. Bleeding hearts are great garden plants, be it the flower or the vine and will look wonderful when planted anywhere.