Pacific bleeding heart
Dicentra formosa
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 24 inches tall2 to 3 feet wide
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Pink , purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) is a perennial for borders, low maintenance beds, and ground cover. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist, loamy, clay, or chalky soil. It spreads by underground rhizomes and usually goes dormant by summer, so plant it between hosta and ferns that fill in later. Deer and rabbits tend to browse other plants first. Hummingbirds and butterflies visit the pink heart-shaped flowers.
Pairs well with Siebold's hosta, Hard fern, Siberian bugloss, and Western columbine.
Native range
CA, MA, OR, and WA; BC.