Gold bleeding heart

Finally, a plant that my kids can get excited about. "It's like a heart that's dripping blood!" says my wild one, the six-year-old.

This is the bleeding heart Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart'. This is its first spring flowering in my garden; it never went dormant last summer. I'm enamored of the golden foliage, the reddish stems, and the opalescent white around the "drips".

Also newly blooming: Phacelia campanularia (California bluebell, self-sown); Viola blanda (sweet white violet).

Comments

[avril]

we have a native dicentra here in the mountains with pale pink and white blooms. One of my favorites in the spring, along with the wild orchids!

[Robert the Llama Butcher]

It's still strange to me to see yours just now opening up when my own have been out for a good six weeks or so! But I see it's been quite chilly still up in your neck of the woods.

[Chan S.]

Avril, that native dicentra sounds wonderful. I always have the sense that bleeding hearts go better in a natural habitat than in the manicured confines of a garden--they must be glorious.

Robert, a missive from boot camp--I'm honored! The site where the dicentra is blooming is shady and zone 4, so everything there blooms 3-4 weeks later than the plants in the gardens in the back of the house (zone 5, sunny, south). Looking forward to some peony blogging soon!

[Stefanie]

What a beautiful variety! And you say it didn't go dormant last summer? I might just have to get me one of those.

[Chan S.]

Stefanie, it's terrific even out of bloom. I have it in a very shady area and it just brightens things up. And rabbit-proof to boot!