want a (much) smaller Bleeding Heart next spring

This past spring my three year old "Bleeding Heart" was much too big and I made a mental note to do "something" before next spring.

I dont want to divide it for the purpose of propagating it but just....'cut some out' so it will be much more compact next spring.

So how should I best do this?

Do I use a shovel and slice off some of the plant all the way around the circumference?

Can I do it now or do I have to wait till early spring?

There is a dwarfed variety of bleeding heart, it grows easily but is not as good-looking as the taller varieties, However it grows and transplants easily.

As you said correctly the dwarf variety is not nearly as spectacular. I guess I will accept the oversize to get the beauty each spring.

I know the feeling. I bought two about 3.5 years ago and they get HUGE now but oh so beautiful.

Doug

There is a white flowered variety which is of a similar size but a nice color contrast to the usual "lipstick" color. I have had one flourishing in partial shade with absolutely no maintenance from me for at least six years.

Here's the white one (dicentra spectabilis alba).
There's a new one called 'ivory hearts'.

I love my Fernleaf Bleeding Heart. Doesn't get real tall and blooms almost all summer. One of the few plants I have never gotten a picture of!

there are 2 varieties that bloom all summer. I forget the name of one of them, but the other is Exima.
rouge, I think you could dig straight through yours, maybe divide it into 3 parts and give away 2.

Thanks for the advice woodspirit1.

Just a bit off topic but this newer "Bleeding Heart" called VALENTINE seems very nice ie darker red flowers, reddish stems and maybe less large than an 'old fashoined' "Bleeding Heart"?

I love my dicentras! You ask if you can chop them; I have chopped my spectabilis while almost dormant to successfully move it , and the little pieces remaining when I moved the main plant created another clump. The little ones (I have Formosa) seed wildly--I have a nice one in the middle of my clethra! Even my ephemeral d. cucullaria (dutchman's breeches) seems to spread involuntarily when chopped by the Mad Gardener.

I had seen Valentine in a couple catalogs - it does look nice. I may have to check it out...
And, quilt, my dutchman's breeches are also creeping about. The foliage is so nice and lacy, I don't mind.

I love the yellow.

At the old house, I would just rip out what i didn't want and bury somewhere else and up it came. Tough - no special handling. Those were light pink.

I have a large Dicentra 'Goldheart' and love it. This year I'm going to try a peony ring to help control it a little.