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Tuesday 29 April 2008

Dicentra spectabilis or Old fashioned Bleeding Heart !

This is another 'I can't imagine having a garden without one!" story again. The irony to this was that the previous owners had two beautiful HUGE ones in the front bed by the windows. What do I do ? .. think that they are not suitable there, and rip them out .. BIG DUH ? moment in my life as a gardener .. lesson learned though. I appreciate this beauty and keep the foliage quite decent almost all season even after the blooms stop.


17 comments:

beckie said...

How pretty. I guess I lost mine this year, it hasn't come up yet. One of my granddaughters loves this plant and thinks the heart is 'neat'.

Unknown said...

Well, we all have to live and learn, right? I love bleeding hearts too, they're such a wonderful plant to have in the yard.

garden girl said...

Gorgeous Joy! Old-fashioned bleeding heart is one of my favorite flowers.

Gail said...

joy,
You have been busy today posting about some great plants...I might have to try Bleeding Heart again...it is so pretty and maybe there is one that will like me, really like me! (sorry to Sally Fields) The creeping jenny and dicentra look great together.

Gail

VP said...

They're great at covering up all that unsightly daffodil foliage as it dies down too Joy. Hey your garden's catching up with mine FAST!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

VP ... that is one great feature of living here .. once Spring sets in we catch up really fast to you guys over there ! LOL

Gail .. now you have done it .. I can hear Sally say that line but I can't place the movie .. you will have to tell me because it will repeat in my brain forever now ! .. Bleeding Hearts are listed for "clay busters" so you should have no problem with them !
Tell me that movie !!!!! LOL

Hey Garden Girl ! .. I think I will get one in white this year .. they are a pretty plant and you can't have too many ? LOL

Cinj ... did you plant some in your new garden ? .. and hosta ? I have to go over there and have a peek !

becki .. that means you have to plant another one for sure .. for your grandaughter ? LOL

Melanie Chopay said...

Joy, your winter was so much longer than mine but your garden caught up almost immediately. My bleeding hearts are at just about the same stage as yours. I too just adore them.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

melanie .. that is one good thing about our Spring when it arrives .. BANG ! things explode ? LOL

Zoƫ said...

I love Dicentra spectabilis too, I have the 'Alba' form (white) which looks wonderful with Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'.

I am having a rain day today, catching up with some blogs.

Unknown said...

Yes I did, but they were the cheap ones from the mail order catalog so I don't have any good pictures of them yet. They're all still growing and doing well despite the cold. It looks like it's supposed to stay above freezing now and we're supposed to get some rain. I hope they go through a growth spurt this week!

Gail said...

joy,
It was here thank you at the Oscars...she was just a bit emotional!

gail

beckie said...

Joy, it wasn't a movie (Sally Fields) she was accepting an Oscar.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

beckie ... do you know what movie the oscar was for ?

Gail .. I remember her saying that but I don't remember the part of the movie she played ?

Cinj ..we actually had a mini blizzard here for about 20 minutes .. I was in Wal-Mart buying some lavender .. jeez !
We are hoping to stay above zero tonight and then we should be ok .. so far all my plants are holding their own .. phew ! Hope yours do too !

Zoe .. that is what I would like to do too ! I love my Jack frost and an alba dicentra next to it would be wonderful ! Thanks for the idea ! .. trying to catch up here too : )

Rose said...

Your bleeding heart looks so healthy and lush, as do all your other plants in the photos. I just planted some bleeding hearts last fall (the teeny little bare root plants from an inexpensive catalog); I have my fingers crossed they make it.

I left a note on Monday, but either blogger ate it or in my absent-mindedness I forgot to hit "publish." Anway, just wanted to say I enjoyed seeing "the girls." Emma is growing so fast!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Rose .. I could have sworn I left a comment back on here .. I know I did on your site ! LOL .. the Crabapple trees and the plants you bought !
Maybe there are comments hanging in the air in cyber space that never get seen or answered ? LOL
Yes .. Emma is going to be a big girl .. the Main Coon is showing through for sure ! LOL

Anonymous said...

When I was growing up my mother would tell a story using the bleeding heart flower. She would pull it apart and each piece represented a part of the story. I can't remember the story and was wondering if you know it. I know it had Ladies' slippers and a sword as part of it.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello dlrook .. I'm sorry I haven't heard of that story. It sounds wonderful though. Each part of the flower representing something in a tale. If you find out would you let me know about it too please ? Folklore with gardens is so interesting , and I would love to know about it : )