A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Bleeding Heart Questions

I've wanted to get one of these plants for a while now. I remember my parents having them when I was little. I tried growing them from seed with now luck! But I was excited when I found some roots at Wal-Mart here in Tucson.

I would just like to make sure that I planted them correctly. I've got them in bigger pots right now. I am hoping to keep them there since it gets hot here. This will give me the option to bring them in the house when it gets hot. I made the cone and put the roots around the bottom. I have the top, where they cut it off, right below the dirt line. Is that what should be done, or should I bury it deeper?

Also, should I water it a bunch and keep it in the sun as much as possible until it starts to grow?

Thanks for your help.

They are shade lovers in my zone 5 area.

I would just plant the way they came..
Are they the lace leaf bleeding heart or the tall variety?

MikeTeebo,,, First ,,,,,,,, Welcome to the Garden helper!!

I have a hard time growing them even in the shade here in TX ,, it just gets soooo hot here and require a lot of water to keep from drying out dieing,, and yes as far as I know they are shade lovers as Dodge said.
I read somewhere some variety can take some sun but I don't remember what variety it was,

Maybe the one called Sun and Substance?

I am growing one of those fromm seed...It was about 6 inches last fall..

x your fingers for me .. Hope it lived..

Well, the paper that was with them doesn't really say what variety they are. They are from VanZyverden. I got some bulbs last fall from them and some are already shooting out of the ground. The wrapper says that I can plant them outdoors in Jan-Feb since I am in Tucson. It does still get in the upper 30s at night sometimes. I guess I don't need to bring them in the house at night then?

Thanks for welcome angel hopefully this gardening kick we have actually works for once.

Thanks for all you help. I am sure I will have more questions.

Thats great.
Yes they shoot up quickly.
I have mine in shade as well as sun and all different types.
They are quite hardy lil fellows..

Dont required much attention.. Good luck.

Ask any questions.

Well I planted the 2 roots a little over a month ago and one started growing pretty good. The other I don't see any growth. So, I bought 2 more last weekend and planted them. We'll see how they turn out.

The one that is growing might be having some problems. There have been 3 sets of 2 leaves and 2 of the sets have seemed to have dried up and the last one seems to be having problems now. Any suggestions??

Here are some pictures if that helps. I also worry a lot and am pretty new to planing soooo. Should I just keep watering it and it should be fine?

Thanks..

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x35/miketeebo/plants/

Being your in arizona, I am hoping you plant them in the shady side of the house. Mine are on the north mostly shade side. Only gets part sun..

YOu may have a problem growing that variety in arizona....It is a cold loving plant.. Give it some shade an keep moist.....

Mine are not up yet , had them for years then they all dropped dead. I had to get new ones last year..

Hope I can help you..

Yeah, I knew they would be hard to grow here.. I have them all in pots. I was told that as long as they were kept watered and in shade they should be alright. You think that I just need to give them time and they will grow? Thanks!!!

There is another type of bleeding heart , in georgia.....I have it here from last year.. Let you know more on that later.
It would do good where you are.

I need some help with my bleeding heart. We are currently living in Switzerland, and I am attempting to grow one of these in a pot. The leaves are turning brown and shrively - but not really dry. Please help me understand what I am doing wrong! It is still too cold for them outside, so I have it inside, but we do not keep our house very warm. Grew then in Wisconsin outside, but never in a pot.... Thank!

I never grew them in a pot.. But did buy them in a pot.
They are supposed to be planted outdoors before winter is all I know.. Mine were spring plants. Like shade I know.

b

I have a White one, and it is planted in the shade they really like the shade. They come up every year. I live in Massachusetts.

Ray

Mine are in full sun here. They get 12-13 hours of direct sun everyday. They are often labeled as shade lovers, but I have been told by another member here that they don't like the higher temperatures instead of not liking the direct sun.

MikeTeebo, you may not have put the roots deep enough. I have planted bare roots for bleeding hearts and I remember putting them 3" down. I'm in zone 5 and we got down to -25 this year. The bleeding hearts always "die" off and then in the spring they come up again. I usually pull the dead stuff off of the plant in the early spring.

I'm not familiar with growing these in pots. I am wondering if they require a cold spell like they get in the wild.

You didn't say which type of Dicentra you have.... D. Spectibilis will bloom mid-spring and usually go dormant all summer. D. Exima will bloom sporadically all summer.

Dicentra don't often do well in a container because they have a very long tap root and can easily get "pot bound", although some people say they manage them just fine in a pot on a deck.

I agree with Jenn.... your Dicentra may be confused as to what time of year it is if it was kept indoors and not given a "winter".

They typically brown and shrivel when they go dormant and then jump back with vibrant life.



Merme

I bought a bleeding heart tree and luckily put it in a large pot. Because it was getting full sun all morning it was starting to burn. Not sure if that is the right phrase or not. Well I moved it to the porch with much more shade and it is much happier. I read that it is a shade loving plant. I love them they are so pretty.

Shade lovers indeed......Mine are on the north side which is easy on sun..Not much .
No problems with that ..Thy say Hosta like shade too.

Bleeding hearts are spring bloomers that love cool moist environments like on the forest floor. The shade that it needs is to keep it cool rather than to shield it from sunlight (too much sun = hot :P). They are like tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs - they go dormant during the summer or just as summer approaches. They will go dormant faster if they get too hot and/or not enough water. Ground should be well draining but moist. As with most perennials, they resent being waterlogged.

The most common kind is Dicentra spectabilis, the pink kind, also called the 'Old Fashion Bleeding Heart.' There is a white variety called Dicentra spectabilis var. alba (alba meaning white). Dicentra formosa is also called a fringed bleeding heart with smaller pink hearts and a more ferny foliage. Dicentra cucullaria is a white variety also known as 'Dutchman's Breeches.' Dicentra scandens is a climbing variety with yellow flowers. Dicentra canadensis has white flowers as well, smaller than D. spectabilis, and is also known as 'Squirrel Corn.'

Dicentra have very brittle roots that can break easily. They should be in the ground, or in a very large pot to accommodate the root system. Dividing is not necessary unless you want more plants. Like most temperate perennials, these NEED to have a cool period to bloom, and you should not cut off the leaves when they start turning yellow. As long as the leaves are still 'connected' to the plant they provide food even if they are yellowing. You can try mixing in some late spring, taller blooming perennials (with shallow root system if you can) such as iris in front of the dicentra as to hide it from view as it does dormant. They are dormant by the second week of July here or sooner.

Bleeding heart can refer to a number of perennials. I think you might have a Clerodendrum thomsoniae, or Bleeding Heart vine. White puffy caylx with red flowers that poke through. There is also another plant called a bleeding heart tree that grows commonly in Africa. Dicentra species are herbaceous perennials that die back to the ground every year.

Oh I think I have the tree. Thanks for the information though I didn't know there were other types of bleeding heart plants.