Dicentra Valentine®

Dicentra Valentine®: Bleeding Hearts in Bold Cherry Red

Cherry-red hearts on dark red stems, as if this bleeding heart skipped the drugstore card aisle and went straight for the grand gesture. Even the new leaves come up purple-red. HOPELESS ROMANTIC. ZERO CHILL.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis), cultivar 'Hordival'
• Common Name: Old-fashioned Bleeding Heart
• Series: A Proven Winners® Proven Selections® perennial
• Height: 70–75 cm (28–30 in)
• Spread: 70–75 cm (28–30 in)
• Flowers: Cherry-red hearts with white inner petals on dark red stems
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Emerges purple-red, maturing to grey-green. It may go dormant in summer heat.
• Features: Excellent cut flower
• Plant Patent: USPP 22,739 / Can COPF

Where to Plant: Put it in a shady border, a woodland garden or a bed on the north side of the house, where the red really pops against green. Plan for a summer gap, since the foliage usually fades in hot weather.

Companion Plants: Epimedium 'Frohnleiten' carpets the ground with yellow flowers in April and May, a bright lift beside red hearts. Behind, Rodgersia aesculifolia adds bold, fingered leaves and cream plumes at 90 to 120 cm in June and July. Tuck Heucherella 'Pink Fizz' at the front for pink flowers in June and July. Fine, bold and low textures make this an easy shade planting.

Plant Care: Plant in part shade to full shade in moist, well-drained, fertile soil. Add compost to clay so the roots don't sit wet over winter. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun. Water regularly through spring. When the leaves yellow in summer, cut them back. That's normal dormancy. Mark the spot so you don't plant over it. It prefers to stay put, so divide only if needed, in early spring. Wear gloves when handling: the sap can irritate skin and the plant is toxic if eaten.

History: Valentine® started as a chance seedling discovered in 2005 in the British Columbia garden of Phyllis and Lyle Sarrazin, a real colour break for a species known for pink flowers. It holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit and is sold in Europe as Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Hordival'.

Final Thoughts: Cut a few stems for a vase and you'll never need flowers delivered again. CHEAPER THAN A DOZEN ROSES, AND IT COMES BACK EVERY YEAR.