The History of Bleeding Heart Flowers

Bleeding Heart Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis) is native to eastern Asia, specifically parts of northern China, Korea, and Japan. It was brought to England in 1810 but didn’t become established there until after the members of a Royal Horticultural Society plant exploration trip reintroduced it to the West in the late 1840s. Over time, Bleeding Heart flowers have become popular for ornamenting gardens, particularly in shaded areas, and the delicate, heart-shaped petals are frequently one of the first to bloom in spring in the United States. Today, there are several cultivars of Bleeding Heart available to choose from and the uniquely shaped flowers are popular in gardens all around the world.