I grew mine from seed in 2018 from Jelitto Seeds bloomed first year and Is growing again after an winter low of -42.9 c this past winter. It did have great snow cover.

Curses. I have had a dire time, trying to grow 'Summer Nights' - either very diminished germination and summer attrition - and had finally buried an unbecoming lusty greed...only to have it all rekindled again... as I now MUST attempt Bleeding Hearts (less keen on Burning Hearts). Sigh.

One stand of BH today:

I’m happy to say I was able to find this plant while on a road trip. Now to see if it will be hardy enough for me. But first, I’d better get out there and give it some support from the wind.

I can report my little seedlings have umm six leaves or so. I'm thinking no blooms this year ;) But I suspect I will have some next year. I can see the obvious dark zone on the leaves that apparently mirrors the dark zone on the flowers (the red).

Our other stand of BH:

I love this plant NOW. But it will bug me when the aphids inevitably show up...any day now.

(What "mild" spray do you use that controls aphids?)

rouge I just came in from cutting back H. 'Summer Sun' covered in the red aphids - disgusting job! I was hoping H. 'Burning Hearts' might not have the same issue. Clearly wishful thinking. Sometimes once a week a strong stream of water is enough or you can add dish soap and spray. If badly infested you could move up to insecticidal soap.

Hey peren.all, yup I had sign of aphid infestation both last season and this season. I used insecticidal soap right away. (I have forgotten to check the stems since then). The end of the flowering is in sight so I will be cutting them back soon anyways.

UPDATE: (June 23 2020)

I am betting some of you more southern gardeners have had it in bloom for awhile by now. I have the first two blooms as of today...earlier I think then usual.

'debbie', did your "Bleeding Heart" survive a Manitoba winter?

Yes it did rouge, thanks for asking. It’s about 18” tall so will be a while yet before it blooms. You were discussing aphids; my “Summer Sun” is an aphid magnet but I don’t recall it being a problem for “B. Hearts” last year. Will have to wait and see how it fares this year.

I just purchased some of these. Im usually not one for yellows, but these are stunning!

They are so tall with attractive burgundy stems. Of course I had to come home and search here. Now I’m hoping I didn’t make a mistake, as it looks like maybe the aphids like them?

Please share you experience with them...thanks!

I too love the flowers and that is why I put up aphids that I invariably get with any heliopsis in my location.

But this year, maybe for the first time, rabbits are munching lots on one of my BH plants. (As a gardener I so dislike rabbits)

I dislike them also! But I think they got the memo this year not to step foot in this yard! My little rescue killed 6 last year...hes a fast little thing. Shocking with the short little legs he has!

So Rouge, any signs of aphids this year?

They are there on our potted "Tuscan Gold" heliopsis (but I can handle that in one plant).

But I just checked and I dont see any on our 2 BH plants...yet ;)

We have 2 generations of rabbits right now. Little tiny bunny and her Mom around the yard. They do seem to be concentrating on the clover in the lawn for the most part. Once the lilies and the hostas are mature, they don't seem to interest them. And my vegetable beds are off schedule this year. They have eaten any broccoli plant that I haven't covered up and they were on the Kale for awhile but have stopped. One vegetable plant they completely ignore is Bok Choy. We enjoy that so I've sowed more seed. But, alas, I've decided I'm going to have to put an ugly wire fence around my vegetable beds if I'm going to get anything from them. They don't seem to bother potatoes either. Or peppers and tomatoes.

Heliopsis, is an aphid magnet for me and a little too robust for my small space. I do love them, and I may try them again in a more half sun half shade location where I wouldn't mind if they spread and the aphids are not as much of an issue. I do like to keep the lady bugs happy, so I don't try to get all the aphids out of the garden, but there are plenty of them on the Milkweed, so there's no chance of that happening. That 'Burning Hearts' is an eye catching plant.

I lost both stands of "Burning Hearts" Heliopis. This and aphid issues will have me *not* replacing this plant.

Rouge, that's a shame, but thanks for letting us know.

For two years, I've started these from seed (and not gotten blooms) and in neither case did it overwinter (though the plain species has been in the garden for 8 years). I think I put them in the same place as the rainbow colored echinacea that never overwinter.

Yes, Rouge, unfortunately every region has its nuisance insects that always are expanding range.

Dbarron, hybrid heliopsis seed out all over the place and quickly flower despite my short far northern summers, they're reliable as anything, only time losing them is when I've set their crowns too deep and then they don't show up the next spring.

Here's some yet newer varieties with additional petals, photos from the net.

'Funky Spinner'

'Fire Twister'

As always, I'll blame drainage (of which I have none, having clay and spring monsoons) for most losses and failure to grow.

I know the pain, I gardened for over three decades on clay, though most of my plantings were on higher ground with good drainage, where it had been lower lying, even had lost many trees there. I also had masses of earthworms that no matter how much I'd amend the clay, in a few years that peat was GONE and what was left behind was hard and sticky! I swore if I were to move I'd never again be on clay and when that time did come and upon finding myself a beautiful forested acreage, I drove a spade into the ground and up came soft silty grey wooded soil, I did a little thank you and quickly signed the deal with the realtor! My soil isn't perfect, some of it requires amending and enriching, but it always stays soft and drainage isn't an issue.

I have burning hearts and bleeding hearts…..both lovely. I reduce the height in late spring to produce stockier plants. added Funky Spinner today. i will take basal cuttings ….try a couple in autumn and again in spring.

it will be fun associating these plants …because of foliage colour…..but geranium rozanne as a foreground will be a starter

Oh these are lovely. Where are you all finding Fire Twister and Funky Spinner for sale? I have 4 small burning hearts I started from seed this year and look forward to flowers next year. My plain yellow heliopsis has been a trooper, no aphids but they do get some insect damage on bud centers.

Yes, good idea for me to phone around and ask if my local nursery has obtained 'Fire Twister' and 'Funky Spinner'!!

Two years ago, I thickly sowed an 8 ft row of collected 'Burning Hearts' seed, other than a few with variegated foliage I may or may not end up keeping, this one seedling has richer coloring and longer more numerous petals than its mother, growth habit on the lanky side and might do as Vchills and cut the plants back earlier in the season, but it's a keeper!!

on some other forum folks discussed their "burning heart" seedlings, they seemed to get very nice variations

yours looks great

by the way, what soil do you have? I garden on heavy loam and have planted Heliopsis repeatedly, mostly in fall, and lost them over winter...

Linaria, heliopsis literally grow as weeds here, the only ones I've lost are those I set the crowns down overly deeply, other than that, individual plants are vigorous and long lasting. I also have come across some very good self sown seedlings. My soil is very free draining silt and seldom do we experience winter wet, the ground generally freezes in late November and then is covered over by a blanket of snow that tends to stick for the entire winter, really ideal for perennials!

Seedling heliopsis of my own.

Photo does not do this one justice, it has handsome semi double blooms upon a leafy canopy of bronzed foliage and purple stems.

This one is a nice 15 inch rounded globe of foliage.

Sorry, just another photo of the 'Burning Hearts' seedling, it has especially rather large blooms.

Yikes @FrozeBudd_z3/4 "Funky and Fire" are so gorgeous. You are the Heliopsis King....of your province :).

@FrozeBudd_z3/4 - that orange semi-double seedling is spectacular! Do the pollinators love it? Beautiful!!

Rouge, with all the space on this acreage and many beds being without mulch, a great deal of volunteer seedlings develop ... of course, must maintain some order and not leave all too many!

Ruth, that nice semi double had shown superior traits as a young volunteer seedling that I had to allow it to continue to develop. Yes, I often see bees, bugs, butterflies and moths on the heliopsis.

'Touch of Blush', another new one coming out, compact with striking variegated foliage and blooms having nice dark centers.

'Touch of Blush'

I hope most folks are able to allow for some volunteer seedlings to come forth of 'Burning Hearts', I now have several seedlings I like more than the original plant. Oh, and 'Bleeding Hearts' has a rather magnificent burnt orange color and I spy a seedling of rich burnt red.

No seedlings yet for me…but I’ll be sure to give them a good ‘shake’ this year. I started with 2 plants and have now divided them into 6. I’m bound to get some sooner or later? Yours are amazing FB!

I just read through this discussion. I grew Summer Sun (habe been for years) and its a prolific seeder. I find that if the plants are watered enough (or it rains enough) no aphids.

GardenHo, I have sooo many self sown heliopsis seedlings I must treat most simply as weeds after scanning for those with superior foliage color or other desirable traits and later decide upon who is pretty enough to warrant stay, the finest I propagate vegetatively .

A2zmom, I grew 'Summer Nights' for several years, many of its seedlings are variegated.

At last..on my third or fourth attempt, I have a handful of these (heliopsis 'Bleeding Heart'), growing away with Texas sage, dahlias and Kiss me over the garden gate (persicaria orientalis). I am less keen on 'Burning Hearts'. I grew a few r. triloba (Prairie Glow, I think) which also had that clearly defined red centre, yellow petal tips, but gave them away to a customer. Currently, the BH are only 40cm tall but I have high hopes of seeing flowers this summer. I do have gaillardia seeding around, which are more than enough red/yellows.

I had mostly tried (and failed) to raise Summer Sun. I love daisies as much as umbellifers, but many of the autumn bloomers struggle in my soil (rudbeckias, heleniums, echinaceas, asters...the list of fails is long) so I mostly grow annuals and try out the odd perennial in hope.

Rosa, I divided and plunked 'Bleeding Hearts' in an open garden space, the dark dull matt foliage like a black void calling out to be rubbing shoulders with bright complimentary colors. This happy new seedling am more keen upon both of bloom and dark handsome semi shiny foliage.

Too bad of those plants that do not succeed for you, rudbeckia hirta are my garden rock stars, preferring soil of low fertility and most happily growing in compacted hard crummy ground and walkways with each carrying a diverse range of color and shapes. Echinacea I yet have not expanded much beyond a few seed varieties, though a trickle of expensive hybrids are taking root in the garden. My list incapable of survival is very lengthy, of course due to the extremes winter artic outbreaks, I can only go with the flow of what works, that means plenty of annuals as well!.

Ahhh, have gaillardia 'Torchlight' on the go hoping for color in August.

Yet another new heliopsis ... 'Sparkling Contrast' ... now, is it anything much different? Mmmm, well, no ... though, is very brightly colored and having garnered for itself an award in the Netherlands. It stops me in my tracks, so that says something, as does the burnt orange of 'Bleeding Hearts'. But, those big awful red aphids have arrived here, they'll cover the stems of heliopsis from top to bottom, really is enough to make one cringe! I had been blasting the plants with a strong stream of water and that has helped, though Mother Nature has pitched in as well with a bounty of lady bugs and wasps that are doing a fine job of ridding most of the aphids.

Annoyingly, the half-dozen Bleeding Hearts did not survive the winter. I had decided to give up on them completely but now find myself with fingers hovering over 'add to cart' on my Jelitto order. Should I? Looking at the rest of the list, I am still concentrating on xeriscape plants so have many small 'cushion' types (arabis, antennaria, silene, scutellaria) with hardly any tall perennials apart from agastache and verbascum). Anything which flowers from a first year sowing is a bonus as I am re-doing a number of beds at the allotment this year and certainly cannot afford to buy mature plants to fill the available spaces).

I picked up a "Bleeding Hearts" on a whim in June -- a large pot of it in bloom caught my eye. I had previously shied away from it because I don't like the look of the flowers in the internet pics, but the color gradation in mine isn't as sharply delineated -- the colors just kind of fade into one another other than there being a clear delineation between them, which I much prefer.

Here it is beginning of August, and it is *still* blooming its fool head off. I didn't have high expectations for it, or any expectation really, but I have to say I am quite impressed with it.

HU-618169007, ahhh, the dreaded winter wet I imagine, on rare occasion I've had the issue and losses were many. Otherwise, heliopsis seed out worse than some weeds and most lose out to the hoe. Have learned though to never divide an established clump in late autumn and then as well to carefully dig and transplant the smaller plants, otherwise doing so in spring they are more forgiving. Two years ago, I placed a good sized order to Jelitto, they certainly have a heck of an extensive listing!

Mxk3, the nice thing about heliopsis is the amount of variation within seed grown strains, thus there is apt to be something for everyone! Today, I was admiring a friends H. 'Bleeding Hearts' of such deep red upon opening, mine does not show such and quickly fades to burnt orange, though a glorious orange it is!

Gorgeous @FrozeBudd_z3/4. (@porkchop_z5b_MI, as of now I dont see your posted picture. Can you try again?)

(I lost our only "Burning Heart" a couple of seasons ago :(, Aphids are always a problem for any heliopsis I plant).

As I spied my Triloba Prairie Glow this morning i realized the flower does looks like BH eh?

I love Bleeding Hearts, but mine barely made it through this past winter…I only have two measly stems. Last year it was extremely vigorous, tall and full. I don’t recall it suffering rabbit damage like my Tuscan Suns did last summer, but regardless, I put a cage around it. It sometimes gets depressing fending off wildlife and mother nature.

Well, I did my seed order and am planning (hoping for) some thrilling new combinations of self-seeders...including hogs fennel (peucedanum verticillaire) patrinia scabiosifolia (I already grow p. punctata and p. villosa) along with BH, stipa ichu, stipa gigantea and atriplex rubra (already have the grasses). Looking ahead already.

Lovemycorgi, I believe your winter had been very mild and wet as well? Winter wet is a difficult thing, I think as well why some folks have troubles with rudbeckia hirta. For the very most part, my perennials sit for month after month in solid frozen ground covered with an insulating blanket of snow, though this past winter snow was at a minimum and some echinacea did perish and a few floribunda roses that had been planted deeply and mounded, but otherwise loses were few.

HU-618, I don't do nearly enough perennial seed sowing, though sure can acquire a vast array of rare and wonderful species and selections! Just had grown some callirhoe, eryngium, gaillardia, linum capitatum, salvia and sidalcea, A friend is growing the lovely pink flowered linum pubescens and possibly will have seed to pass along.

Oooh yes, have had a bit of a linum craze myself. Seed is my only hope of getting more than single specimens (which always look a bit spotty and messy)...although I have been concentrating on self seeders. It really came home to me, this year, how superior self-sown plants are. I didn't manage to grow a single salad vegetable (molluscs)....apart from several self sown lettuces from last year which were scattered around in odd locations, Even though I tried this trick with transplanted lettuce, not a one survived a day or 2...so, I dunno what mechanisms are involved, but plants which decide for themselves where to grow seem to do much better than even direct sown (by me) seeds. Obviously, I am not ascribing any actual sentient choice (on the part of seeding plants), but there is an undeniable difference going on.