91. “GOLD HEART” BLEEDING HEART

Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is a classic spring-blooming perennial. The cultivar known as ‘Gold Heart’ adds a special springtime zing to a landscape with its golden-yellow foliage. It positively glows in a shade garden while sporting the same nodding, puffy, heart-shaped pink flowers as the traditional bleeding heart. ‘Gold Heart’ is a wonderful addition to woodland gardens. Note: the leaves are chartreuse in shadier conditions and become less vibrantly colored as the season progresses. It grows to 2 feet tall, which is slightly smaller than the original bleeding heart. It is deer and rabbit resistant. It is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 6–9.

This quiet beauty likes the protected environment of a sheltered garden. Plant out of the way from high winds and exposed sites. ‘Gold Heart’ grows best in rich, loose soil that is moist and well drained. Do not plant in heavy, clay soils.

After its late spring floral display, ‘Gold Heart’ bleeding heart will go dormant in summer. For this reason, plant it with other shade-tolerant perennials and ferns to fill in the gaps later in the season. You can plant it in a mixed planting with coral bells (Heuchera), astilbe (Astilbe), maidenhair fern (Adiantum), hosta (Hosta), lungwort (Pulmonaria), and ligularia (Ligularia). Place it where you can enjoy the flowers up close.

The leaves of ‘Gold Heart’ bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’) turn chartreuse in the shade of a woodland garden, as shown here. I planted it in a border of hostas and hellebores that grace a walkway. Every spring, the lovely arching wands appear, dangling pink bleeding heart flowers over the lichen-covered stones. It is native to Japan.