A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Bleeding hearts

Here is a good one for you all; four years ago I planted to bleeding heart bushes. They have come up every year except this year. This year one came up just a bit, then dissappeared, back into the ground. Any idea's? This could have something to do with why my Butterfly bush is yellowing, I think.

Miki

did your bleeding hearts bloom any? sometimes in warm climates or if soil is dry, plants will go dormant after bloom. if your soil is dry top dress it with well rotted manure to maintain soil fertility.
or have you ever divided it? plants could loose vigor if overcrowed. lift in fall or as they go dormant, divide clumps and replant in soil that has been enriched with organic matter.
bleeding hearts are not known for any serious pests or diseases.
i just got my bleeding hearts this year so im still learning about them, hope this helps some. i also just got butterfly bushes this spring ,i dont know anything about...yet! only once did the leaves turn, & that was due to frost. good luck
sibyl

The bleeding hearts are in a bed that has both manure (sp), a mix of top soil and potting soil and are mulched. I pull back the mulch before they are due to come up every year. This year I pulled back the mulch, and only one of the two came up at all and that one only got about 2 inches tall before dying off again, so no flowers.

My butterfly bush also had yellowed. I just put it out this year and thinking back we did have one light frost after I put it out so that could be why the lower leaves are yellowing.

Miki

How old is the manure your using? Almost sounds like it's to fresh and your plants are being burned. Bleeding hearts don't require much in the way of fertilizer, they will grow almost anywhere.

well the manure is store bought, but only a little bit of it, and it is mixed into the soils that I mixed. I haven't put any new on in years, so this is at least decomposed some to all by now I would hasten to guess. I mulch to help keep down the weeds, and keep the moisture in, as the year I put them out, we were in a drought. They actually did best that first year, when the only water they got was what I gave them. Last two years we have been water logged. We are in flood watches and warnings every time it rains have been for 18 months or so now.

Miki