White bleeding heart
Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Alba' · Papaveraceae
Arching wands hung with pure white, heart-shaped lockets over fresh, pale green leaves in late spring.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to early June
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around white bleeding heart
The planner designed this bed around white bleeding heart 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 white bleeding heart stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 2 Leadwort × 19, blue
- 3 Dwarf lady's mantle × 7, green
- 4 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
- 5 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 6 Christmas fern × 3, dark green leaves
- 7 Grecian windflower × 12, pink
- 8 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only bells. The others are dense clusters, airy sprays, open bowls and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- At the back. At 2½ ft it is seen over Christmas fern (20 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' (4 ft) and northern sea oats (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early May to early June.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' and northern sea oats, the tallest plants on the plan. Leadwort repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where white bleeding heart goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Cooler and more elegant than the pink, and luminous in shade. Like the species it dies down by midsummer, so plant hostas or ferns beside it to fill the gap.
- White for spring shade
- Woodland and cottage gardens
- Cutting
What to plant with white bleeding heart
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lady fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Siberian bugloss: in flower together for five weeks, from early May; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about white bleeding heart
Does white bleeding heart need sun or shade?
White bleeding heart grows in 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 is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does white bleeding heart 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 white bleeding heart flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to early June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 5 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 6 | Late April to early June |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 9 | Early April to late May |
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 white bleeding heart be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many white bleeding heart plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is white bleeding heart poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like white bleeding heart?
These come closest to doing what white bleeding heart does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- False Solomon's seal: the same flowering time and the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, 6 in narrower.
- Bowman's root: the same colour; a drift, not a specimen, 6 in taller.
- Wild geranium: the same flowering time; a drift, not a specimen, 10 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat white bleeding heart?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after white bleeding heart?
White bleeding heart is over by early June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does white bleeding heart look like in winter?
White bleeding heart has long gone by winter: it dies down in summer, soon after flowering, and comes back in spring.
Is white bleeding heart good for bees and butterflies?
White bleeding heart is visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
More Lamprocapnos
- Bleeding heart Lamprocapnos spectabilis
- Bleeding heart 'Gold Heart' Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Gold Heart'
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for hummingbirds
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early May to early June; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Comes from
- Siberia, Japan, Northern China, and Korea
- Attracts
- Butterflies, hummingbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, deep shade, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.