Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'
Dicentra 'King of Hearts' · Papaveraceae
A low mound of ferny, blue-grey leaves that carries deep rose-pink, heart-shaped flowers from spring until autumn.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early May to early September
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'
The planner designed this bed around bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' × 9, pink
- 2 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 5, blue
- 3 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 4 Anise hyssop × 5, lavender
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Shooting star × 8, white
- 7 Snow crocus × 5, purple
- 8 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bells. The others are open bowls, daisies and spires. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 71% of the edge.
- 9 plants in 3 runs (5, 3 and 1). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for 18 weeks. From early May to early September.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from late July. The back corners are held by brown-eyed Susan and anise hyssop, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The longest-flowering bleeding heart, and its foliage stays fresh all summer where the big old-fashioned kind dies away. It needs good drainage in winter.
- A long season at the front of a shady bed
- Fine foliage with hostas
- Containers in shade
What to plant with bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'
Does bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' need sun or shade?
Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to early September. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late May to early September |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid May to early September |
| Zone 5 | Early May to early September |
| Zone 6 | Early May to early September |
| Zone 7 | Late April to early September |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early September |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to early September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used nine in three groups.
Is bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten. The sap can irritate skin and eyes.
Is there a pet-safe plant like bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'?
These come closest to doing what bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Creeping Jacob's ladder: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, blue, not pink.
- Wild geranium 'Espresso': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers early May to early June.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, blue, lavender or white, not pink.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after bleeding heart 'King of Hearts'?
Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' is over by early September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Meadow saffron: from mid September to mid October, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Autumn crocus: from mid September to mid October, 5 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' look like in winter?
Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Dicentra
- Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' Dicentra 'Luxuriant'
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- Fringed bleeding heart Dicentra eximia
- Squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
- Western bleeding heart Dicentra formosa
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to early September; hanging bells; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; blue-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Papaveraceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.