Chinese Forget-Me-Not, Cynoglossum amabilev Andreas Kay
TheGardenLady received this question from Sherrie about Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me-nots.
I was wondering can you plant these together? If you can plant them together what time of year do we need to plant them me? And my husband lost a baby and we want to plant flowers for the child.
What a lovely memorial you will have for your baby with a garden planted with Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me-nots. I have always loved both Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me- nots for their delicate, charming flowers and have both growing in my garden for spring bloom.
Both the old fashioned varieties of Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me-nots have spring flowers and should be planted in the spring. Since both enjoy partial sun, they should look beautiful together.
bleeding_heart_4-01_medres KimCarpenter NJ
Bleeding hearts are in the genus Dicentra – the old fashioned variety is Dicentra spectabilis and comes with pink or white flowers. There are also some old fashioned Bleeding Hearts that have golden foliage. (see here)
The old fashioned Bleeding Heart blooms from April through June and then the plant dies back. The plant is generally sold in the spring and can be planted as soon as you buy it. If you order the plant through the mail, the nursery should send it to you when it is the best time to plant it in your temperature zone. If you prefer planting seeds of the Dicentra spectabilisis Bleeding heart, plant them in the spring. The seed package will have instructions for the best time to plant the seeds in your temperature zone. (see here)
This plant is best planted in shade or part shade. (see here)
There are other Bleeding Hearts in the Dicentra genus, some that bloom in spring and rebloom in Sept and others that will extend the blooming period, blooming throughtout the summer.
Here are some other Dicentra options: There are two types of fern leaf bleeding heart, a native North American plant from either the Eastern US which is Dicentra eximia or the Western part of the Americas called Dicentra formosa.
Dicentra eximia has one of the longest blooming season of any Dicentra. It also comes in a lilac and a purple flower.
Of the Bleeding Hearts that bloom from spring all through the summer up until the frost please consider a white flowering Bleeding heart with a pink bottem called Dicentra Love Hearts and Burning Hearts Dicentra as well as one called Reblooming Dicentra Red Fountain. These three bloom all summer in zones 3 to 8.
There are also climbing Dicentra to consider for your memorial garden and yellow Dicentra.
Check out the Pacific Bulb Society page.