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Northwestern Gardening

Bleeding Heart size

18 years ago

This may be a very dumb question, but why are the Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) I've seen in the woods so much smaller than one I just saw in a neighbor's garden? Yes, the garden one gets more light, but not a lot more. The ones in the woods have only one little heart per plant and are quite small. The garden one sports a string of hearts and is about 3 feet tall. What makes the difference?

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Comments (4)

westgate
18 years ago
I think it depends on nutrition and light...... my white ones get about 3 feet and I have a very large, wild one that is about 3 1/2 ft by 3 1/2 feet..... quite attractive and much larger than I expected, with a great many puple/red blossoms. It volunteered, and I am happy to have it in the middle of my flower bed!
Embothrium
18 years ago
Normally the ones in the woods here are D. formosa.
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buyorsell888
18 years ago
There are many in cultivation that are improved varieties with bigger and more flowers than the natives.

Dicentra spectabilis is native to Japan!
toad_ca
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks guys! Duh!!! Don't know why I was thinking they were the same species.

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