In Your Garden with Jenny Watts Bleeding Hearts Its easy to see why Bleeding Heart has been

the subject of stories and legends back into history. The pillow-like flower is heart shaped with a single dangling pendulous drop. These lovely perennials are members of the genus Dicentra, and there are quite a few different kinds of them. The old-fashioned Bleeding Heart is called Dicentra spectabilis. And it does make a spectacle of itself in the springtime. Right now you can see them with long clusters of heartshaped pink flowers each with protruding white inner petals, hanging in a row from long, arching, stems above the soft green foliage. They grow 2-3 feet tall and after they are all done blooming, the foliage dies down to the ground by mid-summer. Plant with coral bells, hostas and ferns to create a long season of bloom in the shade garden. They also make delightful additions to fresh bouquets, lasting about two weeks in a vase. There are many other types of Dicentra as well. Dicentra Luxuriant features deeply-cut, fern-like, grayish-green foliage which lasts throughout the growing season. Its delicate pink, nodding, heart-shaped flowers are carried above the foliage on long, leafless, dangling stems. Blooms begin in spring and last until warm weather. Sometimes they will rebloom in the fall. It makes an attractive, fern-like groundcover, about a foot high. Dicentra formosa, the Western Bleeding Heart, is an elegant, perennial that spreads slowly from rhizomes to form drifts of soft lime-green, ferny foliage in shady woodland areas. Pink heart-shaped flowers hang gracefully from long, arched stems, attracting hummingbirds. It is surprisingly drought tolerant during the summer months. All parts of this plant are poisonous, so be watchful with young children around. There are many other types of Dicentra, some with colorful names like Dutchman' breeches or Short-horn Steer's-head. All are variations on the varieties listed here. There are also plants with pure white flowers and one called King of Hearts that has rosy pink flowers with protruding pink inner petals. All Dicentra like a shady, woodsy location with moist, fertile soil. They are easy to grow and seldom have insect or disease problems. Deer and rabbits do not like them. They can tolerate morning sun, but protect them from hot afternoon sun. They are easy to grow in containers. Combine them with fibrous begonias for interest from spring through fall. The name Bleeding Heart is most associated with Dicentra spectabilis because the flowers truly have the appearance of a bleeding heart, but all types of Dicentra make lovely additions to the shade or woodland garden.