Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant'
Dicentra 'Luxuriant' · Papaveraceae
Cherry-pink hearts over blue-green, ferny foliage from May to September: the longest-flowering bleeding heart, and tolerant of more sun.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to early September
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around bleeding heart 'Luxuriant'
The planner designed this bed around bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' × 8, pink
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 5, yellow
- 3 Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' × 18, blue
- 4 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 5 Log fern × 3, dark green leaves
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Double snowdrop × 8, white
- 8 Winter cyclamen × 10, pink
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between creeping mahonia (12 in) in front and blue wood aster (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 18 weeks. From early May to early September.
- Fills a gap. For 8 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. Something is in flower for 35 weeks, from early February to mid October. Bellflower 'Dickson's Gold' is the plant there is most of: 18 of the 56.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. 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 'Luxuriant' goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A hybrid of the native fringed bleeding hearts that never stops flowering if the soil stays moist. Use it in threes at the front, where the big bleeding heart would leave a summer gap.
- Months of colour in part shade
- The front of a woodland bed
- Fine foliage contrast
What to plant with bleeding heart 'Luxuriant'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost': in flower together for four weeks, from early May; bold leaves against its fine ones.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about bleeding heart 'Luxuriant'
Does bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' need sun or shade?
Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' 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 'Luxuriant' 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 'Luxuriant' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 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 eight in two groups.
Is bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' 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 'Luxuriant'?
These come closest to doing what bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Wild geranium 'Espresso': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early May to early June, medium leaves, not fine.
- Jacob's ladder 'Stairway to Heaven': the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers early May to early June.
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 'Luxuriant'?
Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' 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 'Luxuriant' look like in winter?
Bleeding heart 'Luxuriant' 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 'King of Hearts' Dicentra 'King of Hearts'
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- Fringed bleeding heart Dicentra eximia
- Squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
- Western bleeding heart Dicentra formosa
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 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, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- 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.