When the ants take the seeds to their nests, they distribute the seeds around the garden. Like many native wildflowers, the seeds are covered with sticky elaiosome that attracts ants. You can also find transplants around the plant from seeds dropping. It is best to divide this plant every few years in early spring. Once established, this Bleeding Heart will tolerate occasional periods of drought, and does not like wet, winter soil. Wild Bleeding Heart grows in zones 3 to 9, and prefers shade and part shade, in rich, moist, well-drained soil. The owner, Ellen Folts, specializes in woodland, prairie and wetland native perennials. There are some schools of thought that say, north of Pennsylvania, this plant is naturalized instead of being native.Īs I profile this wonderful native plant, I am linking in with Clay and Limestone for her Wildflower Wednesday meme, and Elephant’s Eye at False Bay for her Dozen for Diana monthly meme. And I am joining forces once again this year with a local native plant nursery, Amanda’s Garden, to buy native plants for my garden. Wild Bleeding Heart is native to the wooded slopes in the eastern US, from Vermont to Illinois and south to the mountains of Georgia and Tennessee, found mostly throughout the Appalachian Mountains.

Also the leaves will stay evergreen through most of the growing season.

Unlike the Asian Bleeding Heart, this plant will bloom for months from early spring through summer, and with pruning can bloom sporadically right to the first frost. I hope to see my new plants put on a display of mounding, gray-green, ferny leaves and drooping clusters of white to magenta-pink hearts, once planted out next spring. Sometimes called Turkey Corn, they grow 1-2 feet high and wide. Known as Dicentra eximia, they are part of the Fumitory Family (Fumariaceae). This year they grew beautifully and filled out in their large containers.Įven though I have already profiled one native Dicentra ( Dicentra cucullaria) this year, I thought Wild Bleeding Heart would make another wonderful plant to highlight for this series. I decided on Fringed or Wild Bleeding Heart, ordered some bare root plants last year, and over wintered them in pots.

So I thought I would add a native Bleeding Heart, in hopes it would grow more readily. I have always loved Bleeding Hearts, but the Asian Bleeding Heart ( Lamprocapnos spectabilis) has not adapted to my garden easily. “Let us decide on the route that we wish to take to pass our life, and attempt to sow that route with flowers.” ~Madame du Chatelet

Wild bleeding heart presque isle