Bleeding heart

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

In other languages: Gebroken hartje (Nederlands) · Cœur-de-Marie (Français)

Comes from outside Europe, but is often planted here in gardens and parks.

Bleeding heart is a perennial from north-east Asia, where it grows in moist, light woodland and on shady slopes in northern China and Korea. In Belgium it does not grow in the wild, but it has been a much-loved classic of shady gardens since the 19th century. You recognise it at once by its arching stems carrying a row of hanging, heart-shaped flowers in pink and white, like beads on a string. It flowers from April into June and is visited by bumblebees. After flowering it often disappears below ground by midsummer, to come back the following spring.

Caution: All parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten, because of the alkaloids it contains. Keep young children, dogs, cats and grazing animals such as rabbits and horses away from it. The sap can irritate sensitive skin: wear gloves when cutting back and dividing.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Partial shade or shade
tolerates little sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -25 °C
Size
0.7 m
tall, 0.6 m wide
Flowering
April–June

Key facts
Pruning months	June–July
Height	0.7 m
Native to Belgium	No, planted
Flowering	April–June

Identify

How to recognise it

Habit: Loose, rounded clump 60–90 cm tall and 50–60 cm across, with fleshy, arching stems.
Leaf: Soft blue-green, twice divided into three broad, cut lobes; it looks a little like peony foliage.
Flower: Heart-shaped, 2–3 cm, hanging in a row along arching sprays: two pink outer petals with curled-back tips, from which a white ‘drop’ formed by the inner petals hangs. The variety ‘Alba’ is pure white.
Fruit/Seed: A narrow, pod-like capsule of 2–3 cm with shiny black seeds; in gardens it does not always set seed.
Roots: Thick, fleshy and brittle: it dislikes being moved.
Look-alikes: Smaller bleeding hearts (Dicentra formosa and relatives) are lower, with more finely cut leaves and flowers in small clusters above the foliage. The native hollowroot has elongated, spurred flowers in upright spikes.

Flowering: April–June · Pruning: June–July

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the loveliest spring flowers for partial shade, with flowers everyone recognises.
Bumblebees visit the flowers; with their long tongues they can reach the nectar deep inside.
Fresh, soft blue-green foliage that brightens a shady border early in spring.
Long-lived and little work: a well-planted clump stays in the same spot for many years.
A lovely cut flower: the arching sprays look graceful in a vase.
A grandmother’s-garden classic that fascinates children straight away.

Bleeding heart: where does it grow best?

In the wild: moist, light deciduous woodland, woodland edges and shady slopes in northern China and Korea.
Partial or light shade is ideal, for example under tall trees or on the east side of the house. In full sun it dies back sooner.
Humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; acid to slightly limy is fine.
Sheltered from cold winds and late frost, which can damage the young shoots.
Allow 60 cm per plant and put late-emerging perennials next to it to fill the gap in summer.

Goes well with

Hosta: Large leaves that unfurl while the bleeding heart flowers and fill the gap in summer.
Ferns: Fresh green foliage for a shady border, even after the bleeding heart has gone dormant.
Siberian bugloss: Pale blue flowers in the same weeks and the same partial shade.
Columbine: Flowers alongside it in May and happily self-seeds in partial shade.
Lungwort: Early flowers and spotted leaves at the front of the border.

Maintenance

Bleeding heart: when and how to plant it?

Buy plants from a nursery or garden centre; never dig plants up from the wild.
Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
Mix a few spadefuls of leaf mould or well-rotted compost into the planting soil.
Set the plant with the buds 2–3 cm below the surface and handle the brittle roots with care.
Water well straight away and spread a layer of leaf mould around the base.
Put a stick or label next to the plant: it disappears in summer, and this way you will not dig it up by mistake.

Care

Water: Keep the soil moist in spring: in dry soil the leaves turn yellow as early as June and the plant dies back early.
Feeding: In March, a layer of compost or leaf mould around the plant is enough.
Mulching: A layer of leaf mould keeps the soil cool and moist, like the woodland floor it comes from.
Summer dormancy: Yellowing leaves in July are normal: the plant is going dormant. Cut them off and let the neighbours fill the gap.
Do not move: Preferably leave an established plant where it is: the brittle roots break easily and it needs time to recover.

Tip: Plant it among hostas or ferns: they emerge later and hide the empty spot when the bleeding heart goes dormant in summer.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: June–July.

When: Faded flower sprays in June; the yellowed foliage in July, when the plant goes dormant.

How:

Cut faded sprays back to the leaves, unless you want to collect seed.
Leave the foliage as long as it is green: it feeds the roots for next year’s flowers.
In July, cut yellowed stems and leaves back to just above the ground.
Use the cuttings as mulch under shrubs or put them on the compost heap.

Caution: Wear gloves: the sap can irritate the skin.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division: In March or in September–October: lift the clump carefully and cut it with a sharp knife into pieces, each with a few buds and roots. Replant straight away.
Root cuttings: In late winter, lay 5–8 cm pieces of thick root flat in a pot of sandy cutting compost; they sprout in spring.
Seed: Sow fresh seed in summer or autumn in a pot outside: it needs a cold spell to germinate. Seedlings flower after 2–3 years.

Bleeding heart: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

The plant overwinters below ground as a thick rootstock with buds; nothing is visible above the surface.
Fully hardy, to about −25 °C.
The young red shoots appear in March and are sensitive to late night frost: cover them with fleece when frost threatens.
A layer of leaf mould in autumn protects the roots and feeds the soil.

Diseases and pests

Late frost: Frozen shoots turn black and limp. Cover them when night frost is forecast; the plant usually sprouts again.
Slugs: They eat the young shoots in March–April. Pick them off in the evening and give hedgehogs and ground beetles a place to live.
Early yellow leaves: A sign of drought or too much sun. Water, mulch and, if necessary, move it in autumn to a shadier spot.
Root rot: In wet, heavy soil the fleshy roots rot. Plant in a well-drained spot and improve clay with compost.
Aphids: On young shoots in spring. Ladybirds usually clear them up; otherwise spray them off with water.

Through the year

February: Take root cuttings.
March: Shoots appear. Apply compost. Cover during late night frost.
April: Flowering begins. Watch out for slugs.
May: Full flower. Cut flowers for the vase.
June: Last flowers. Cut off faded sprays. Water in dry spells.
July: The leaves turn yellow: cut them back to just above the ground.
August: Dormant. Hostas and ferns fill the gap.
September: Plant or divide.
October: Plant. Spread leaf mould around the spot.

You and this species

Did you know?

Turn a flower upside down and gently pull the pink petals apart: you will see a ‘lady in the bath’, an old children’s game that also gave the plant this English nickname.
The plant hunter Robert Fortune brought it from China to England in 1846, after which it quickly became popular in European gardens.
It was long known as Dicentra spectabilis; it is now placed in the genus Lamprocapnos and, like the hollowroot, belongs to the poppy family.

More species from Europe · All species