• Image of Dicentra spectabilis|Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC|JLBG

    Photo by JLBG taken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC

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Dicentra spectabilis

Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 692

Zones: 3a to 8b

Dormancy: Winter, Summer, Fall

Height: 24" tall

Culture: Part Sun to Shade

Origin: Japan

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


Dicentra spectabilis, aka old-fashioned bleeding heart, is an oldie but goodie and still one of the finest deer-resistant perennials for the woodland garden. Emerging in very early spring, the upright stalks, clothed with dusty green leaves, are topped with dangling pink heart-shaped flowers (attractive to hummingbirds) as they emerge from the ground and continue until early summer. The stems top out at 2', then gracefully arch outwards. In midsummer, Dicentra spectabilis goes summer dormant and disappears to make room for late emerging perennials in the border. Each Dicentra spectabilis clump will eventually have a spread of 3'.