Every couple years, I divide my bleeding heart and sell the starts. I have to catch it before it gets too big, or it's impossible to handle and I break lots of stems. Here is the bleeding heart. It is about 8-10 years old, and measures about 2 ft. in diameter.
Here is my DH digging around the plant.
Next he loosened the roots.
Then he lifted the heavy plant into a wheelbarrow.
Here is the entire plant in the wheelbarrow.
The root system on this plant was amazing. I tried working the roots apart, but eventually had to take a knife to it.
Here you can see the part I replanted to its original spot, and behind it are some of the starts I potted up. There were 30 pots when I got done. I'll have to wait a week or so to see what survives.
What a fabulous demonstration! The flowers from that are so lovely, too. :)
I just peeked over at this Dicentra spectabilis entry http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/52/index.html, and it sounds like you got as many plants, if not more, than the last time you divided it (assuming this is the same one). That's gotta be so rewarding!!!
Thank you for sharing.
Donna
Yes, this plant seems happy where it is planted. Our climate suits it, as well.
I've never divided a bleeding heart. Currently mine is less than a foot in diameter, but will get much larger. It has not bloomed yet. Is it large enough to divide? How will it affect the bloom? Is the best time to divide before or after bloom?
Not to mention that you have a sweetheart of a husband... doing all that digging for you!
~* Robin
Yes, my hubby is a keeper, Robin!
Bayouposte, I try to divide mine early in the spring before it gets much growth, definitely before it is completely leafed out. This minimizes the damage to foliage. It's never a good idea to divide or transplant when a plant is blooming. My bleeding heart seems to bloom later on, in spite of the disruption. Once established, they are pretty tough. Rather than the size of the plant, I'd consider how long it has been growing in that spot. You want to be sure you have plenty of root material when you divide.
This is its third year in place, so I think I may leave it for another year or so. Thanks for the pictures; they were helpful for determining what to look for! I learn so much from this site and appreciate everyone's willingness to advise.
jen
Great "Show & Tell" Weez! Thanks...
Hey, Weez, I've been dreaming about Bleeding Hearts since you posted this thread. Walked down the street to visit my neighbor and check out his Oregon Grapes (instead of leaning over the fence between our gardens like we normally do), and look at what was blooming on both sides of the front porch!!!
SO1 told me a while back that they're hardy to our zone, and just rolled his eyes when I spotted these guys and dragged him by his shirt sleeve to come see for himself... I mean, when he pointed them out and I figured out what they were... I mean both... LOLOL
It's so much fun to discover what truly *IS* is one's backyard (or neighborhood, in this case)! :)
Donna
Donna, that's a lovely photo! I'm sure dicentra would do fine in your neck of the woods, and your picture confirms it! Ask your neighbor if she ever divides it! LOL!
God sure made some pretty plants, didn't She?
Not only did God make beautiful plants, but she also has the knack for arranging them well. No matter how badly I chose to arrange my planting, God seems to move them around to look beautiful.
: )
Thank you Weez for demonstrating, I will have to keep this in mind when it comes time to separate mine!
*edit: Plus if I could only get my DH to do what yours does I would be in heaven! lol
This message was edited May 2, 2005 9:56 PM
Magwar:
Thanks bunches... The Ol' Tom Cat... Weezin's DH
I have two different kinds of pink bleeding heart and one gets very "leggy", long branches as opposed to a nice bushy plant. Can I trim these off after blooming and root them?
Barb
Send them to me Barb. I'll try them!
~* Robin
Well, that is very sweet, Robin, but I was kind of hoping to do it myself. These are woody stems so what would be the best way to encourage rooting in them? How about, if I succeed, I send you a rooted one - in exchange for your expert advice? There are so many "legs" I will have plenty to share if this works out...
Barb
Well,
To tell you the truth I've been tring this method lately, even with my lavender.
Rose Propagation: Paul Barden: Old Garden Roses http://www.rdrop.com/~paul/hulse.html
Other methods are seeming to take longer. It should work for them too.
~* Robin
Weez, have you tried them from seed. Mine s got the seed pods on them now. the plants are only two yrs. old and these are first seeds I've seen. If thats what they really are. Kind of look like little green beans or kind of like the wisteria seeds I'm waiting to snatch down the road. Oh and by the way the wisteria that we snached the other week is all ready showing new growth, And from what I heard on that was it would be unlikely to take off. See ya MIke
Just found this interesting thread and would like to add my 2 cents. My bleeding hearts self sow to such an extent that I always have dozens of babies from them. My white bleeding hearts do not sow as heavily but I am now finding a few babies of them also. The pink come up in the cracks of my sidewalk and even in the lawn. It is so hard not to stop and scoop up each and every baby! Needless to say my friends know where to come begging for them.
The main plant was about 15 years old and last year died mainly because of neglect on my part it was like a tree stump that rotted away. My first plant that self sowed came from NJ, none of the ones I had prior to that one ever self sowed .
I really enjoy all the great information shared on this thread and through out DG. My DH is also a keeper and is sometimes too willing to work up new areas for me and then I must (sigh) go buy more plants. lol!
Joy
How old are they before they start to put off seeds? I planted bare root stock last year and have beautiful plants this year. And, I took up some spare "arms" that got knocked off in a storm, stuck them in hormone and soil and they all have new growth and little roots!
Barb
Good information, Barb. I've often wondered if I could start them from the stems. I'll have to give that a try. Joyous, your bleeding heart is a few years older than mine. The main part could have just reached its limit agewise. All plants have a life span, I guess. Many of our plants live quite a long life here because the weather is fairly temperate. Our summers are cool and our winters mild. The white variety doesn't seem to be as hardy for me, but when I had one, it did self-seed. I'll have to give it another try. My pink one never self seeds, but spreads quite well in a year or two after dividing it.
As for germinating seeds, I've never had much luck. I did manage to winter sow some fernleaf types, but they are still very small, so it remains to be seen if I can keep them going and winter them over.
Barb, I never gave a thought to try to root a broken branch! This would be a good idea for friends who want to multiply the few that they have. Thanks!
Weez, I thought we lived in a temperate area but after 8-10 days of over 95 degrees and it is still spring I am wondering if we haven't slipped to the tropics. Big storms every afternoon, all we need is the sandy beaches and palm trees and we would be singing all the tropic songs. Thanks for all the wonderful and fun info you post here at DG. I tell other gardeners you are one of the high points of my gardening cyber family.
Well, joyous, if it's broke, plant it, I say... or at least try to propogate it!
Tropical here in Jersey, too... and I just love when they add the heat and humidity and tell me the heat index to make me feel even worse...
Barb
I have what I've been calling a white bleeding heart, growing in my garden, that is about five feet tall and takes up a corner about 6 - 7 feet deep and 8 feet across. It has sprays of multiple little 5 lobed, white, heart shaped "lanterns" that have smaller 5 lobed red blooms (with thin stamens) that dangle down from the lantern centers. It has thin, woody stems, that are almost "vinelike" when they grow long (6+ feet). The plant is about 30 years old. From my description can you tell if this is a true bleeding heart or something else.
I am a novice gardner but have lately developed a stronger interest in propogating plants from the many things growing in my yard. Thanks Weez and Everyone for an informative and lively discussion!
Pema
maui_gardengirl, Sounds like a white bleeding heart to me. Maybe you shoul post a photo for positive ID?
Yes, a photo would be of help. Considering your zoning and your description, I think this might be your plant: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/506/index.html
Wow! What a beauty!! I've seen a yellow bleeding heart vine, but never one as gorgeous as this. It's definitely on my "gottohave" list.
Oh, man, just what I need. ANOTHER plant I want...
Barb
Thanks Weez, this is my plant. And the hyperlink had so much info and great photos. I am about to dig this plant up to make way for my new open air, shadecloth greenhouse. I intend to divide and replant it in other areas of my garden. I'll also make cuttings now that I know I can. This is so exciting to me. This gardening/growing thing is quickly turning into an obsession. Oh-oh!
It's a real beauty, maui_gardengirl. Yes, gardening can become an obsession... but a good one! Good luck with transplanting and dividing your bleeding heart vine.
Hi, all!
I love bleeding hearts and just found this thread by google-ing for propagation information! Once again a great thread Weezin!
Thanks for going to all the trouble of taking the pics and posting the info. t.
Hi, tobasco. It's ironic that someone dug up this old thread, since I've been thinking about digging up my bleeding heart again. It was due last year, but after a rather bitter winter, I thought I'd leave it for another year. However, this year, I may have to dig it out of the snow first! We still have three feet of snow in my yard.
