Plant Library

perennial

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart

Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart'

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Gold Heart Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart') at Shelmerdine Garden Center

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart flowers

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart') at Shelmerdine Garden Center

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart in bloom

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart in bloom

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  3 feet

Spacing:  30 inches

Sunlight:  partial shade  full shade 

Hardiness Zone:  2a

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

Lovely mounds of chartreuse-yellow foliage create a stunning backdrop for arching stems of nodding pink, heart-shaped flowers; excellent performance in borders and containers; stunning when added to cut-flower arrangements; summer dormant

Ornamental Features

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart features delicate nodding pink heart-shaped flowers with white tips dangling from the stems from late spring to early summer. Its attractive ferny compound leaves emerge lemon yellow in spring, turning chartreuse in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen! As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Gold Heart Bleeding Heart is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Garden  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Foliage Color  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features