Search with at least 3 characters

Choose your language:

Dicentra

Dicentra (bleeding heart): hardy spring flower for partial shade and pots

Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formerly Dicentra spectabilis) is a hardy perennial with heart-shaped flowers on arching stems, in pink and white, white or red. It flowers from April to June and often dies back in summer. The lower Dicentra formosa and hybrids have fine, fern-like foliage and flower for longer. Holland Bulb Market supplies Dicentra as rhizomes for gardens, pots and forcing.

Uses

Partial shade borders: spring colour under trees and shrubs, together with hosta and astilbe.
Pots and containers: as a spring pot plant for patios and entrances.
Cut flowers: the arching flower sprays look graceful in a vase.
Retail: rhizomes in consumer packs and forced pot plants for spring sales.

Professional cultivation: bleeding heart in pots and greenhouses

Lamprocapnos spectabilis is suitable for forcing in pots. Plant the rhizomes in winter in roomy pots with the buds 2–3 cm below the soil and, after a cold period, place them cool and light in the greenhouse. This allows flowering pot plants to be delivered ahead of the outdoor season.

For the garden, the rhizomes are planted in spring or autumn. Read more about professional growing.

Our Dicentra range

Lamprocapnos (Dicentra) spectabilis in pink and white, Spectabilis Alba (white) and Valentine (red and white), plus Dicentra formosa Luxuriant and Jolly Hearts Sparks.

Flowering time by group

Group	Flowering (NL, outdoors)	Height (approx.)	Examples
Bleeding heart (L. spectabilis)	April – June	60–80 cm	Spectabilis, Valentine
Dicentra formosa and hybrids	May – August	30–40 cm	Luxuriant, Jolly Hearts Sparks

Key facts

Planting season	spring or autumn
Planting depth	buds approx. 2–3 cm below the soil, 40–60 cm apart
Flowering	April – June (spectabilis); May – August (formosa)
Position	partial shade; humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness	hardy
Toxicity	all parts are toxic to humans and animals; the sap can irritate the skin

View all dicentras in the webshop. Business customers see prices after logging in. Our current catalogues are on the Downloads page. For a quotation, please contact us.