Dicentra ‘King of Hearts’

A bleeding heart with showy pink blooms

novel plant introduction are not always improvement over their predecessors . With so many first-class bleeding hearts , could there be elbow room for another ? The answer is a resounding “ yes . ”Dicentra‘King of Hearts ’ ( USDA Hardiness Zones 5–9 ) play perfect , Rubenesque hearts of rich , rosy pink carry in showy bunch 8 to 12 inch above stringent rosette of goodish , parsleylike blasphemous - unripened foliage .

An extraordinary selection , ‘ King of Hearts ’ was produced by the late Marion Ownbey of Pullman , Washington , from crosses involving three parents . The native eastern bleeding nitty-gritty ( Dicentra eximia , Zones 3–8 ) donates the extended bloom menses , while the rounded , full - incarnate , hunchbacked lobes of the heart add up from the Japanese species Dicentra peregrina ( Zones 5–7 ) . The rich color and rigorous flower clusters make out from the western nativeDicentra formosa(Zones 4–8 ) .

In my garden , I ’ve combined ‘ King of Hearts ’ with black mondo grass ( Ophiopogon planiscapus‘Nigrescens ’ , Zones 6–11 ) , chartreuse - leaved gilt cringe Jenny ( Lysimachia nummularia‘Aurea ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , and small- to average - size hostas . For interest group during the bleed heart ’s downtime , I like to engraft pinkish and bloodless rain lilies ( Zephyranthes‘Big Dude ’ , Zones 7–10 ) , which repeat the flower color .

alike to other bleeding heart , ‘ Rex of Hearts ’ need humus - rich , slightly acidulent , sandy to loamy soil ; if the soil dries , flowering will wane . For the best flowering , plant it in full sun to fond shade . Unlike our native haemorrhage hearts , ‘ baron of Hearts ’ is illiberal of heat . In the warmth and humidness of a Virginia summer , plants move into semidormancy but summarise flowering when the temperature chill in fall . This cultivar performs well where nighttime are cool and humidity is grim . Its inadequate , cringe rhizome quickly form dense glob with a XII or more eyes . ‘ King of Hearts ’ dislikes competition , so aim it near the front of the perimeter or along a itinerary where it will not be crowded .

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