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Wishfire

Bleeding Hearts (the flower)

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I was wondering if anyone is familiar with Bleeding Heart flower. This is what they look like...

 

Bleeding-Heart-thumb.jpg

 

I want to know what kind of climates they grow in. Or, at least, if they'll grow where I live, which is Orange County, California.

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Ah, Dicentra spectabilis, the bleeding heart as I remember it they are considered perennials in Zones 3 to 7 I think it would be safe to say they would do well in California. I'm in zone 5 and the many years I sold them I only sold them as a hanging basket arrangement. Please check with you local nursery to make absolutely certain as it can be painful to invest time and $$ into plants and only get one otr maybe two growing seasons out of them.

 

BlueCrystal<----worked for many years at a greenhouse and garden center.

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Bleeding hearts are among my favorite perennials. They grow well here in North Carolina, and we can have temperatures that go down in the single digits at times. I would give you this hint.......they don't like direct sunlight. even a little shade won't hurt. But if you put them in direct sun light, they will "get very upset" B) Seriously, they will probably not last one season.......I hope this information is helpful.

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From my bible of gardening The Better Homes and Gardening New Complete Guide to Gardening:

 

Native to forest floors from New York to Georgia, fringed bleeding heart is a beguiling wildflower that decorates shady gardens from early spring through fall with pink flowers and gray green foliage.

 

The description goes on forever........here's the vital info I assume you are looking for:

 

Site: Fringed bleeding heart grows best in light to full shade; light shade best for common bleeding heart, but it tolerates full sun if kept moist. Humusrich, fertile, well drained but most soil. Even moisture for fringed bh, plentiful water for common.

 

Fringed bleeding heart hardy in zones 3 - 9, common bleeding heart in zones 2 - 9.

 

There is a lot more info in this book, but I think I've gotten what you need.

 

Good luck! B)

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We never had any bleeding hearts in ca... but we have them in mass, sooo, i don't know :yahoo:

321977[/snapback]

 

 

Oh I think they are rampant in Cali!! :blink: :clap:

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I had actually been thinking about starting a thread about flowers that people grow in their yards. Bleeding hearts and bluebells were the two I most remember in our yard when I grew up. This was in NW Illinois. Our bleeding hearts were in light shade and they had survived for at least five decades. They are one of my favorite flowers. I imagine they would do well in California, but it's always a good idea to check with a nursery or cooperative extension service - if you have such things in California.

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Never actually grew any bleeding hearts in my gardens, had thought about it though.

 

My gardens had a bunch of different plants, but my favorites will always be to grow: aloe, roses, bouganvilla, and strawberries. Yeah, :yahoo: I do notice a few themes there, first off with the first three all of them have thorns(which of course, so do my citrus trees that I adore....though sadly they have not produced fruit, flowers, but no fruits). And strawberries are in the rose family, believe it or not.

 

 

(Ok...this list is probably not complete, but over the last 22+ years I have lived here in N. Florida we have had: bouganvilla, aloe, strawberries, roses, daffodils, lilies(many varieties, inlcuding Lily of the Valley and Egyptian Lilies-may have been called Lily of the Nile), orchids(though I seem to have a knack for killing those beautiful flowers :blink: ), society garlic(I loved them, the rest of my family did not they said the flowers stunk really bad), morning glories, moon flowers, lavender, grape vines, wisteria, jasmine, honeysuckle, many varieties of cactus, Florida holly(it actually is growing in our yard near our fence and have no clue as how it got there, but it is beautiful and the birds that inhabit the area seem to adore it), blueberries, green and banana peppers, tomatoes, squash, zuchinni, cucumbers, pumpkins, wildflowers, phlox(no not the Trek character, LOL), moss rose, marigolds, pansy, ivy, tulips... not to mention my trees that I received as birthday gifts over the years from my mother or grandmother (I always loved these!!!) Peach, apple, grapefruit, tangerine and orange. Only one to produce fruits so far was one peach tree I had that produced some really sweet fruit about a year or two after I had planted it. It died after one really bad summer, and I had gotten two more peach trees but those damned hurricanes last year did a bang up job on killing those off(along with a good portion of my plants.) :clap: We went from being very dry, which damaged a lot of them... to drowning after the third hurricane through here.

Edited by Yillara_Soong

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I had actually been thinking about starting a thread about flowers that people grow in their yards. Bleeding hearts and bluebells were the two I most remember in our yard when I grew up.  This was in NW Illinois.  Our bleeding hearts were in light shade and they had survived for at least five decades.  They are one of my favorite flowers.  I imagine they would do well in California, but it's always a good idea to check with a nursery or cooperative extension service - if you have such things in California.

321984[/snapback]

 

 

 

We must live close Trekz.

 

 

I've seen bleeding hearts blooming everywhere when I walk the dog.

 

I've started a "zen" garden, and have a beautiful Buddha statue there, and I've often thought about surrounding him with bleeding hearts and calla lilies

 

 

I hope this isn't too big.

 

DSCN0141.jpg

Edited by Madame Butterfly

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I think bleeding hearts (and calla lilies) would look great around that statue, Madam Butterfly. Also maybe some ferns, or maybe some peonies, another fave of mine, though they might like more sun. We also had, in a rock garden, some jack in the pulpit which we transplanted from our woods/pasture.

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We never had any bleeding hearts in ca... but we have them in mass, sooo, i don't know :yahoo:

321977[/snapback]

 

 

Oh I think they are rampant in Cali!! :blink: :clap:

321978[/snapback]

 

Northern Cali, maybe. But I haven't seen anything about them growing very far south of San Fransisco. Here in OC it might be too hot or humid for them. I don't know.

 

I guess I could try keeping them potted and moving them around so they don't get too much sun...

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We never had any bleeding hearts in ca... but we have them in mass, sooo, i don't know :yahoo:

321977[/snapback]

 

 

Oh I think they are rampant in Cali!! :clap::look:

321978[/snapback]

 

Northern Cali, maybe. But I haven't seen anything about them growing very far south of San Fransisco. Here in OC it might be too hot or humid for them. I don't know.

 

I guess I could try keeping them potted and moving them around so they don't get too much sun...

322067[/snapback]

 

 

:blink: That was a joke Wishfire.

 

from the map I have here, it appears most of California is in Zones 8 and 9 with two small areas in 10.

 

I think you can grow them.

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Here's a link to a map of zones on the web

 

http://www.blossomswap.com/zone.html

 

 

One specific to California

 

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-sw1.html

 

 

And this one has a link on the top of the page so you can enter your zip code and get specific results!!!

 

http://www.gardenhere.com/Zones.shtm

Edited by Madame Butterfly

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I think bleeding hearts (and calla lilies) would look great around that statue, Madam Butterfly.  Also maybe some ferns, or maybe some peonies, another fave of mine, though they might like more sun.  We also had, in a rock garden, some jack in the pulpit which we transplanted from our woods/pasture.

322021[/snapback]

 

 

:clap: I have peonies not too far from that statue actually!!

 

It's not too far from a sunny area, it gets light shade.

 

I already have some hosta's in the area, some pachysandra, and some other flowers that escape my mind right now. :look: Mrs. Moon, Astilbe, and I'm going blank again.

 

I think Lily of the Valley would be beautiful and so fragrant, but I know once I plant that, it will be hard to get rid of it. :yahoo:

 

I'm actually thinking of putting some larger hosta's behind it, as hosta's can't be killed and until I am certain the flowers will grow, there will be some greenery there.

 

I really want to go to the nursery today, but I know if I just wait until after Mother's Day things will reduce drastically in price. :blink:

Edited by Madame Butterfly

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