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Pacific bleeding heart

Dicentra formosa, the western bleeding heart or Pacific bleeding heart, is a flowering plant in Poppy family, generally found in moist wooded areas from California to British Columbia. It is a perennial that grows from a horizontal rootstock (tuber). The plant can approach half a meter in height. The flower has four petals between one and two centimeters long in shades of purple to pink to nearly white. The outer two petals curve and pouch, forming a rough heart shape. Leaves are finely divided and fernlike, growing from the base of the plant. Flowers are pink, red, or white and heart-shaped and bloom in clusters at the top of leafless, fleshy stems above the leaves from mid-spring to autumn, with peak flowering in spring. Description from Calscape

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Pacific bleeding heart

Pacific bleeding heart fast facts

Scientific Name

Dicentra formosa

Family

Fumariaceae

Garden Type

Container Appropriate, Rain Garden Appropriate, Anywhere

Wildlife

Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds

Native Plant Region

Western WA, PNW, North America

Light needs

Filtered

Water Needs

Medium

Plant Type

Flowering, Perennial

Bloom Color(s)

Pink

Height

0 – 2 feet

Width

0 – 1, 1 – 2 feet

Months in Bloom

April, May, June

Safe Beneath Power Lines?

Yes
Pacific bleeding heart

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Capitol Hill Seed Library

Gardeners can check out seeds for free from the library to plant. Then after harvest, gardeners bring seeds back to the library for others to enjoy in future growing seasons.

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