Flowers From the Garden: The Bleeding Heart

One of the prettiest flowers in my garden....the "Bleeding Heart" so aptly named for its shape, just have a look.
The Bleeding Heart in Mid bloom and in full bloom.

Some Information on this beautiful Valentine flower, Courtesy: Canadian Gardening Online.

They may be common but bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) add elegance and beauty to any garden.

Also known as lady’s locket and lady in a boat, this quick-growing, clump-forming, classic perennial has been gracing gardens for more than a century, and is well loved for its early blooms and ability to thrive under myriad conditions.

BLEEDING HEARTS Notorious self-seeders, bleeding hearts will often create many new plants. Divide in spring or fall, but be sure to treat brittle roots with care. Cuttings can be taken from large plants after flowering or from young shoots once they’ve started to grow in spring.

Dicentra (from the Greek words dis, meaning “two”, and kentros, meaning “spurs”, referring to the flower’s unusual shape) are spring blooming, but some flower longer than others. Generally, the cooler the location, the longer the blooms will last. Most species come from the forest floors of deep woods and moist canyons and are thus well acclimatized to shade gardens.
Of the more than 150 species of Dicentra, the following is most often grown in Canada and are hardy to Zone 3:

Common bleeding heart (D. spectabilis) Old-fashioned bleeding heart, a.k.a. valentine flower, is the most familiar to many gardeners and is definitely worthy of notice, which is in fact what spectabilis means. Native to northern China, Korea and Japan, it was introduced to English gardens in 1857, where it still thrives. Growing from 60 to 90 centimetres tall, it features nodding, rose-pink, heart-shaped flowers with protruding white inner petals. The entire plant goes dormant in summer.





Source: http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/bleeding_hearts.shtml