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Dicentra eximia

Fringed bleeding heart

Papaveraceae

Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Hummingbirds Deer Resistant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 3–9

Overview

Dicentra eximia is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial reaching 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) tall and 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) wide. Basal leaves are finely dissected into narrow segments, blue-green to grey-green with a waxy bloom, and form a mound that holds from spring until frost. Nodding flowers hang in branched racemes on leafless stems carried just above the leaves; each flower is 0.75-1 inch (2-2.5 cm) long, rose-pink to purplish-pink, with two outer petals pouched at the base and reflexed at the tip. Flowering begins in April or May and continues in scattered flushes into September where soil stays moist and summer nights stay cool. Unlike Lamprocapnos spectabilis, this species does not go dormant after flowering, so the leaf mound remains through the growing season. Plants self-sow, and ants carry the seeds away from the parent clump. Foliage scorches and thins in hot dry summers above roughly 90 F (32 C), particularly where afternoon sun reaches the crown, and plants in soil that stays saturated through winter are subject to crown rot. All parts contain isoquinoline alkaloids. Hardy in USDA zones 3-9.

Native Range

Dicentra eximia is native to the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America, from western New York and Pennsylvania south through West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee to northern Georgia. It grows on shaded rock ledges, talus slopes, and rocky woodland banks, rooting in humus that collects in crevices. Populations recorded outside this range are garden escapes.

Suggested Uses

Used in shaded borders, woodland gardens, and north-facing foundation beds, spaced 15-18 inches (38-45 cm) apart. The mounded habit suits the front edge of a shade planting and the margins of shaded paths, and raised beds or low walls lift the nodding flowers to eye level. Container culture works in pots of 2 gallons (7.5 L) or larger using a bark-based mix held out of afternoon sun.

How to Identify

Leaves are all basal, 8-14 inches (20-35 cm) long, and divided two or three times into segments 0.1-0.25 inch (3-6 mm) across, giving a fern-like outline in blue-green with a paler underside. Each flowering stem carries 5-15 nodding blooms, and every flower has four petals in two pairs: two outer pink petals pouched at the base and two narrow inner petals that project at the tip. D. eximia holds a tight crown and spreads only by seed, while D. formosa travels on shallow rhizomes and has broader leaf segments and shorter, blunter flowers. Sap from broken stems is watery and colourless, separating it from the yellow-sapped Chelidonium majus of the same family.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 1'6"

Width/Spread1' - 2'

Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~18 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowering begins in mid-April at the southern end of the range and in mid-May farther north, with the heaviest flush lasting four to six weeks. Scattered stems keep opening through July and August and into September wherever soil moisture holds and night temperatures stay below about 70 F (21 C). Flowering slows or stops during hot dry spells and resumes after rain. Long-tongued bumblebees are the main visitors, and ruby-throated hummingbirds work the flowers where the ranges overlap.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Rose-pink to purplish-pink

Foliage Description

Blue-green to grey-green, finely dissected, with a paler waxy underside

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-5 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam silt rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years from division to full clump size

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Growth is strongest in part shade to full shade, with two to five hours of morning sun tolerated in cool climates and less at the southern end of the range. The species roots in humus-rich soil that holds moisture but drains freely, at a pH of 5.5-7.0; heavy clay that stays wet through winter leads to crown rot. Even moisture of roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) per week sustains the leaf mound through summer, and without it the foliage yellows and collapses by August. A 2-inch (5 cm) layer of leaf mould or shredded bark holds the shallow roots cool, while mulch heaped against the crown encourages rot. Fertility needs are low, and a single spring topdressing of compost carries the plant through the season. Clumps are lifted and divided in early spring every three to four years once the centre thins.

Pruning

Spent flower stems are cut at the base through the flowering season, which removes developing seed capsules and prompts further bud production. Leaves that yellow or scorch in midsummer are cut to the ground, and a fresh flush follows within three to four weeks if the crown stays moist. The whole clump is cut back to 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the crown after frost blackens the foliage, or left standing until early spring where self-sowing is wanted.

Pruning Schedule

late springsummerfall