How to Plant Bleeding Heart Flowers in a Container

Bleeding heart is the common name of many different plants that have flowers, usually pink, that are shaped like a heart. Most kinds of bleeding heart, namely the Dicentra, grow better unbound outdoors because they have such a long taproot, but it is possible to force them inside in pots. Planting a bleeding heart in a pot is not difficult as long as you know how to care for the plant and encourage it to thrive and take root.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Pot
• Potting medium
• Fertilizer

1. Fill a pot one-third to one-half of its height with a fresh, well-drained potting medium such as a mix of half loam and half peat. If transplanting the plant from outside, prune the roots if necessary up to one-half their lengths. Place the bleeding heart flower in the container, allowing the roots to spread naturally, and fill the rest of the potting medium around the roots.
2. Tamp down the soil around the base of the plant and give it a good, deep watering. Make sure there are no air pockets. Place the plant in an area with full sun or partial shade.
3. Water the bleeding heart flower, keeping it moist throughout the spring and summer months. Decrease watering in fall and winter, from about Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day, allowing the plant to go dormant.
4. Fertilize the bleeding heart with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer once every two weeks. Stop fertilizing in November when the plant goes dormant and begin again in February.
5. Pinch the foliage off the plant once it has bloomed and faded. This will encourage new growth in the spring.