Pruning Bleeding Hearts
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Tina
Posted: Mar-25-2005 at 10:08am
Hello i'm a very new to gardening and have just moved into a house with a 160 ft garden i have a plant which i think is a Bleeding Heart. It looks quite wild and i was woundering if this plant is pruned back. Look forward to your reply Tina.
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-25-2005 at 11:33am
hmmm, i thought it would be an easy answer but the more i look at your question, i'm not quite sure what you are asking and why. Originally posted by Tina
It looks quite wild
define 'it.' do you mean your 160' garden or the plant you think is a bleeding heart?
if the garden looks wild, are you trying to control the spread of the bleeding heart? pruning it won't do that. you need to control the spread of the plant below the soil surface by removing some of the plants. but i would caution you to wait to do any digging and changes until you've spent your 1st year in your new home. this will give you the chance to become familiar with your garden [sun/shade areas, dry/wet areas and what other garden treasures are still dormant] so you can make informed changes.
or do you mean the bleeding heart looks wild? what parts of the plant are you wanting to prune? last year's ratty-looking foliage or this year's new spring growth? if the former, yes, it can be cut back to the ground. if the latter, don't prune new growth; it should be blooming soon.
you can learn more about bleeding hearts at these rainy side links: dicentra formosa - this is our native bleeding heart.
dicentra 'luxuriant'
dicentra spectabilis
welcome to rainy side. as a new gardener, you will find lots of useful information on the website. you're welcome to visit us anytime on the forum, too.
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Mar-25-2005 at 2:53pm
I want to add one of those " never or always" statement. You "never" know what is growing on your new land, as many perenials dont show up until later in the season. therefore, you should "always" watch and wait a year before making major changes in the landscape so that you can better plan what you want where you want it and not have the "thrill" of major transplantng due to mistakes of putting something in the wrong place or too close to something that this year is cute and little. Rainyside is a great source of information. Welcome.
Our Bleeding heart dies down in mid summer and started sprouting about a month ago and is just beginning to bloom now in the Portland area.
Carol
Wanda
Location: Puget Sound corridor
Posted: Mar-25-2005 at 7:12pm
And for heaven's sake, get out there and take some "before" pictures! You will be amazed as you live in your house awhile how things change in the yard (and inside the house, too). I also would suggest taking some photos of the plants as they come up and bloom so you can remember where they are and will have an easier time identifying them. Welcome to your new hobby!
-Wanda
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton