Dicentra spectabilis Yellow Leaf

Dicentra spectabilis 'Yellow Leaf' is a beautiful golden-leaved version of Bleeding Heart. It is a vigorous, hardy and truly luminous shade plant that contrasts well,  especially with dark green foliage. Its very golden, finely textured foliage, beautifully enhances a more classic pink flowering, in the shape of pendulous hearts on reddish, arched stems. This perennial tolerates any ordinary soil that remains moist. During the summer, it enters dormancy after losing its leaves.

Dicentra spectabilis Yellow Leaf is derived from Dicentra (or Lamprocapnos) spectabilis, native to forests in eastern Asia, southern Siberia, and Japan. It belongs to the Papaveraceae family, or the Fumariaceae family according to classifications. It is a rhizomatous and deciduous perennial, disappearing in winter to reappear in spring. It rapidly forms a bushy clump in a few years, reaching a height of 60 cm (24in) and a spread of 90 cm (35in). The plant spreads laterally through trailing rhizomes, allowing it to expand if conditions are favourable and giving it a fairly lush appearance.

The stems of this Bleeding Heart emerge in spring bearing delicate divided leaves, golden yellow, turning yellow tinged with chartreuse during the season. The flowering occurs in May-June depending on the climate, and can continue until July if the soil remains consistently moist. Otherwise, the Bleeding Heart enters dormancy in summer. At the end of the reddish arched floral stems, rising 80-85 cm (32-34in) from the ground, 3 to 15 pendulous flowers appear, measuring 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2in) high and 2 to 3 cm (1in) wide. Each flower is composed of pink outer petals forming a heart and arrow-shaped inner petals. After pollination by insects, they produce pods that contain round and black seeds enveloped in a white, sticky substance.

The Yellow Leaf Bleeding Heart is a plant that is truly easy to grow in most regions, but it does not like climates that are too hot and dry in summer. It fits in cottage or naturalistic-inspired gardens, always in a cool and shady location. It can be associated with other perennials that do not mind competition from tree or shrub roots. Consider purple Heucheras, Columbines, Solomon's Seal, hardy Fuchsias, Corydalis, creeping Bugleweed, Japanese Anemones, or a carpet of Periwinkles, for example.

Most Bleeding Hearts go dormant in summer, but this has no effect on the plants' health.