Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Lamprocapnos spectabilis. Bleeding Heart.
This plant is also commonly known as Dicentra spectabilis in gardens and nurseries. It is a member of the poppy family Papaveraceae, although to look at it you would not think so. It was renamed and separated out into this new genus and it is the only species in the genus.
It was introduced to England from Asia in the 1840s by the Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune and is native to Siberia, northern China, Korea and Japan.
It is valued in gardens and in floristry for its heart-shaped pink and white flowers, borne in spring.
In spring this fast growing plant growing from a rhizome will shoot up to about 1 metre in height in good growing conditions but generally is shorter. Its 3 lobed compound leaves are borne on fleshy green to pink stems. The lovely arching branches have up to 20 hanging flowers borne in late spring early summer. The outer petals are bright pink, while the inner ones are white. The flowers are a heart shape with a droplet beneath.
It has relatively soft fleshy stems which can break easily in strong winds. It needs some protection.
In a moist and cool climate, it will grow in full sun, but in warmer and drier climates it requires some shade.
Aphids, slugs and snails sometimes feed on the leaves.
Clumps remain compact for many years and do not need dividing. They have brittle roots which are easily damaged when disturbed.
Great plant, great talking point.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’ which appears to be stronger.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’. Introduced from Hadspen Garden, England, in 1997, yellow leaves.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Valentine’. Red and white flowers.
The species, the cultivar 'Alba' and the red-and-white cultivar 'Valentine' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
This plant is also commonly known as Dicentra spectabilis in gardens and nurseries. It is a member of the poppy family Papaveraceae, although to look at it you would not think so. It was renamed and separated out into this new genus and it is the only species in the genus.
It was introduced to England from Asia in the 1840s by the Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune and is native to Siberia, northern China, Korea and Japan.
It is valued in gardens and in floristry for its heart-shaped pink and white flowers, borne in spring.
In spring this fast growing plant growing from a rhizome will shoot up to about 1 metre in height in good growing conditions but generally is shorter. Its 3 lobed compound leaves are borne on fleshy green to pink stems. The lovely arching branches have up to 20 hanging flowers borne in late spring early summer. The outer petals are bright pink, while the inner ones are white. The flowers are a heart shape with a droplet beneath.
It has relatively soft fleshy stems which can break easily in strong winds. It needs some protection.
In a moist and cool climate, it will grow in full sun, but in warmer and drier climates it requires some shade.
Aphids, slugs and snails sometimes feed on the leaves.
Clumps remain compact for many years and do not need dividing. They have brittle roots which are easily damaged when disturbed.
Great plant, great talking point.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’ which appears to be stronger.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’. Introduced from Hadspen Garden, England, in 1997, yellow leaves.
Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Valentine’. Red and white flowers.
The species, the cultivar 'Alba' and the red-and-white cultivar 'Valentine' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.