Care Instructions for White Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding hearts, which have the Latin name of Dicentra spectabilis, are natives of Japan, but can also be grown successfully in the United States. The plant grows in tall green shoots that are covered in drooping, heart-shaped flower blossoms. The flower blossoms are typically pink, but in some varieties, such as Alba, the blooms are pure white. Caring for white bleeding heart plants is identical to caring for those with colored flowers.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Water
• Mulch
• Slow-release granular fertilizer
• Hand pruners
• Pruning shears

1. Water the soil under the white bleeding heart plants once or twice per week until the ground is wet to a 1-inch depth. If rainfall occurs, omit extra watering altogether. Increase watering frequency in the summer months or when drought occurs.
2. Spread a 1- to 2-inch layer of mulch around the base of the white bleeding heart to help regulate the moisture in the soil and prevent it from evaporating. Pull the mulch away from the plant stem by at least 1 inch to prevent it from rotting or developing disease.
3. Apply a general, slow-acting granular fertilizer in early spring around the base of the bleeding heart, using the dosing suggested on the fertilizer packaging. Water well after application to soak the fertilizer into the soil.
4. Remove the faded blooms from the plant stems, which is called deadheading, as soon as they begin to fade. Simply cut back the fading stem to the green area using a pair of hand pruners. This encourages the bleeding heart to produce new blooms.
5. Wait until the entire plant starts to wilt and turn yellow, which occurs in the mid-summer or the early fall, depending in the variety. Cut back the plant to 1 or 2 feet above the ground using pruning shears and dispose of the clippings.

Tips & Warnings

• Many white bleeding heart plants will turn yellow and appear to die in the mid- to late summer, but will regrow when the temperatures cool down.

• All bleeding heart plants have a mild narcotic effect and should be kept away from pets and small children.