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The exotic beauty of the dicentra can become a real decoration of the garden if you correctly combine the existing varieties of the flower with other ornamental plants. The varieties and types of dicentra with photos and names presented below will help in their correct selection when landscaping a garden plot, designing a landscape, and composing a flower arrangement. At the same time, you should know what conditions need to be provided for the crop and how to properly care for it.
What does a dicentra look like?
Dicentra naturally lives in the Far East, Eastern China, the Korean Peninsula and the North American continent. This exotic flower was brought to Europe from Japan at the beginning of the 19th century and even then gained wide popularity due to its unusually shaped flowers.Looking at dicentra flowers, one gets the impression that delicate defenseless hearts are suspended at the ends of the branches, split at the bottom, from where a tear or a drop of blood is about to fall.
Because of its romantic appearance, dicentra has a second name commonly accepted among people. Russians call it “broken heart”, the British – “bleeding heart”, Germans – “heart flower”. And the sentimental French even came up with an unhappy love story related to the appearance of this flower. A girl named Jeanette got lost in the forest. A young man helped her find her way home, with whom she immediately fell in love and dreamed of meeting him. One day, a wedding procession passed through the village where Jeanette lived. The girl recognized her lover as the groom. Her heart broke from grief, Jeanette lost consciousness and died. This unusual flower grew in that place. The French call it "Jeanette's heart."
Dicentra flowers have long symbolized romantic relationships and were chosen among young people in love. Almost every gardener planted this plant on his plot. Several decades ago, due to the influx of a large selection of other exotic crops into the horticultural market, interest in dicentra subsided somewhat. Currently, designers have turned their attention to the flower, actively including different varieties of the crop in landscape and floral compositions. Their work gave the flower new life and the opportunity to evoke admiring glances with its unusual shape.
Description of dicenters
The scientific name of dicentra has a completely justified translation from Greek - “two-spurred” because of the two spurs located at the petals of the corolla. The crop belongs to the subfamily of the poppy family.
A botanical description of the plant can be done as follows:
- the height of a bush of erect or spreading stems, depending on the type, can reach 0.15-1.0 m;
- dicentra flowers come in different shades of yellow, pink-purple or pure white, up to 2-3 cm in diameter, flattened in the shape of a heart with two petals bent at the bottom and a tear-drop petal looking out, rolled into a tube;
- the inflorescences are racemose, drooping, located at the ends of the branches, bent into an arc and rising above the foliage, flowering lasts on average 35-40 days;
- leaves are double-triple or triple-pinnate, large, openwork, green in color with a bluish tint, and have a decorative appearance;
- nectar is stored in hollow formations - spurs, located outside the petals;
- dicentra seeds are black in color with a shiny surface and oblong shape, located inside the seed capsule and retain the ability to germinate for up to 2 years;
- The roots are fleshy, well developed, and go deep into the soil.
Dicentra is interesting for gardeners because it does not require special care and can grow both in shaded areas and in open sunny areas. In the shade, flowering occurs slightly later than in the sun. But the color of the petals is more saturated and lasts longer. It is not particularly picky about the soil, although it prefers nutritious, moist and well-drained soil, which will ensure lush growth of the bush. Some species do not tolerate stagnant water and severe drought.
The plant is resistant to low temperatures and requires shelter for the winter only in severe frosts. A bush can live in one place without replanting for up to 8 years.But it is advisable to rejuvenate it by dividing the rhizome after 4-5 years.
In practice, propagation of dicentra in central Russia is possible only in two ways: cuttings and dividing the bush.
Dicentra in landscape design
The unusual appearance of the dicentra flower and its lush bushes are widely used by landscape and floral designers when designing flower beds, borders, and alpine slides. The decorative appearance of openwork foliage with tassels of flowers towering above it will definitely decorate the garden both in single plantings and in group plantings.
Picked dicentra flowers do not wither for a long time. Therefore, they are used in holiday bouquets and used to decorate rooms for celebrations. It is better to cut off branches with unopened buds. They will bloom quickly in vases with water.
Low-growing varieties of dicentra look great in ceramic flowerpots or hanging flowerpots. They fill empty shady places in gardens, as they grow well on the ground.
Is dicentra poisonous or not?
The most poisonous part of the dicentra is the root. But some varieties have leaves and stems that are poisonous because they contain alkaloids. Therefore, you need to work with the plant carefully, using special gloves. Contact with skin may cause irritation. If a small amount of juice gets inside the body, then you should expect gastrointestinal upset. In case of severe poisoning, the effect will affect the nervous system. Fleshy roots can protrude above the ground and be eaten by animals, which will not have the best effect on their health. Therefore, you need to ensure that the roots of the dicentra are under the soil.
Blooming dicentra
The flowering of dicentra opens the flower season of a summer cottage in early spring and, depending on the variety, lasts differently.There are species whose flowers you can admire all summer, from spring to the first days of autumn. There are other varieties that bloom in a month and a half. The different flowering periods of different varieties of dicentra allows you to select them when designing them in such a way as to ensure flowering from May to September.
Dicentra flowers with thin petioles are located at the ends of curved branches, forming one-sided racemose inflorescences. They have the shape of a flattened heart, sometimes elongated with two petals diverging downward. The color, depending on the variety, can be pink-purple, carmine, cream, red, yellow, pure white.
After the bush has completely flowered, cut off the entire upper part, leaving only low stumps up to 3 cm in height.
Types of dicentra
The genus Dicentra includes several varieties of annual and perennial ground cover and herbaceous plants, shown in the photo below. About 20 varieties are known to science, but only about ten are common among gardeners. They all differ in the size of the bush, the splendor of flowering, the color of the buds and the conditions of care. Grown as garden and indoor plants. Some varieties are capable of forcing - an artificial exit from a dormant state into the active phase of the growing season.
Dicentra is magnificent
The magnificent dicentra species (Fumaria Spectabilis) is the most popular among other species in Russia. It has another name - “magnificent heart flower”.The description of Dicentra magnificent was made by the Swedish explorer Carl Linnaeus in the early 18th century. The spreading perennial reaches a height of 1 m. It has decorative pinnately dissected leaves with different shades of top and bottom on long (up to 12 cm) petioles. Racemose inflorescences adorn the ends of the branches.
Dicentra superb grows well in partial shade, where flowering is longer and more abundant, which usually begins at the end of May and lasts a little more than a month. Then the upper part dies off, and the bush goes into a dormant state until next spring. The species is winter-hardy, withstands frosts down to -350With proper shelter of the bush for the winter.
Dicentra is beautiful
The plant species Dicentra Formosa is native to North America. A low, spreading perennial grows up to 40 cm and blooms with purple-pink hearts collected in inflorescences almost all summer from June to September. Green leaves on long petioles are collected in a basal rosette.
Has several varieties. Used for landscaping rocky gardens and as a ground cover plant in natural parks.
Dicentra goldenflower
Under natural conditions, the species Dicentra Chrysantha can be found in Mexico and southern California, on dry mountain slopes. A spreading and tall shrub varies in height from 45 to 152 cm. It blooms from spring to early autumn with bright yellow buds. It is not easy to grow this heat-loving species in the garden, as it is demanding in terms of care and does not tolerate cold.
Dicentra capulata
In nature, the dicentra cuccularia species (D. cuccularia) grows in eastern North America, on poor sandy soil, as well as in the humid forests of Oregon and Washington. This is one of the shortest species.Dicentra grows up to 20 cm and has translucent white flowers with a yellow stripe and long spurs, as seen in the photo. Flowering begins in early spring along with the blossoming of foliage.
The root system of the variety resembles a spruce cone, consisting of small nodules. This species is often grown as a houseplant. There is a variety called Pittsburgh with pink flowers.
Other types of dicentra
There are other types and varieties of dicentra, the seedlings of which can be purchased in a specialized store, where they are usually supplied from Holland. Flower lovers can grow all these varieties at home on a windowsill or enclosed loggia.
We can name at least 6 more well-known species of dicentra.
- Excellent or exceptional (D. Eximia) belongs to the low-growing species. It grows up to 25 cm, blooms for two months with dark purple, pink or white flowers with gray-gray leaves on long petioles, reminiscent of fern leaves. Used for winter forcing. Has the pink variety Boothman's Variety.
- Climbing (D. Scandens) - Himalayan liana with branches up to 2 m and yellow or light pink elongated flowers. In the middle zone it is grown as an annual plant. An interesting frost-resistant variety, Golden Tears, has yellow flowers with a pink tint. The buds of this variety bloom from June until the autumn cold.
- Canadian (D. canadensis) similar to the hooded one. It is a low bush with pure white flowers on short stalks, collected in inflorescences of 3-10 pieces. Blooms in mid-spring.It has bluish-gray feathery leaves on long petioles, collected in a basal rosette. Pairs beautifully with primroses.
- Vagrant (D. Peregrina) has a thousand-year history of existence. It looks like a low, miniature perennial with heavily dissected gray leaves. They are collected in a basal rosette and have large elongated purple-white buds. Considered a pioneer of rocky, cinder and sand fields. Widely used for landscaping alpine hills and rocky gardens.
- Single-flowered (D. Uniflora) so named because it does not produce inflorescences, but blooms with single light purple flowers, covering the entire bush at home from late February to mid-August. It is difficult to grow, and in nature, due to its small growth (about 10 cm), it is difficult to find among the grass. In its homeland in America, this species is often called “ox-head” for its strongly bent petals, reminiscent of the horns on the head of a Texas ox.
- Pauciflora (D. pauciflora) grows on mountain slopes, at an altitude of 1300-3300 m, on the North American continent. It has erect stems 10-12 cm high with inflorescences of 2-3 light purple flowers. It is similar to the one-flowered one, but the petals are bent less, so it has a different name: “ox short-horned head”. In Russia it is grown as a houseplant.
Dicentra varieties with photos and names
The work of breeders has made it possible to develop varieties of different species of this exotic flower, differing in the color of the petals, their size, and growing conditions. Below are photos and descriptions of shrubs of the most popular varieties of dicentra.
Variety Aurora
It grows up to 35 cm, has the appearance of a lush herbaceous bush with openwork leaves and delicate white heart-shaped flowers. It can grow in one place for up to 8 years, which allows you to create country landscapes for a long time. The variety belongs to the beautiful dicentra species.
Variety King of Hearts
A hybrid obtained by crossing three types of dicentra: beautiful, wandering and exceptional. Purple-pink flowers rise above glaucous-green lacy leaves from May to August. The bush is low and grows well in shaded corners of the garden.
Variety Bakchanal
Creates a lush bush up to 80 cm high, blooming with pink elongated hearts collected in curved inflorescences throughout the summer season. The green, pinnately dissected leaves create a beautiful rosette, like a green flower vase. Winters well. The variety is a representative of the beautiful dicentra.
Variety Laksharient
A compact bush, does not exceed 35 cm in height. The variety looks elegant and bright with dark red or purple-pink buds on purple petioles among soft green foliage. The beautiful dicentra variety Laksharient delights flower lovers from mid-spring to mid-autumn. Feels great in shaded areas of the garden.
Alba variety
This variety is a variety of Dicentra splendid with white flowers. Reaches a height of 70 cm. The bushes are good due to their neat rounded shape and lush growth of feathery leaf plates, decorated with white drooping inflorescences.The variety does not tolerate frost well and needs shelter for the winter.
Variety Gold Heart
Gold Heart belongs to the magnificent dicentra species, bred by breeders in 2004. The variety is distinguished by an unusual combination of bright pink inflorescences against the background of golden decorative foliage. Dicentra is good both during flowering and after, attracting attention with the color of the leaves. A tall shrub grows up to 80 cm.
Variety Berning Hearts
A very beautiful hybrid, which was obtained from two types of dicentra: stray and excellent. Openwork light silver leaves create a spectacular contrast with bright red large flowers reminiscent of flames.
Variety Valentina
The variety is the latest innovation from breeders. It stands out with the rich cherry color of its buds on purple stems. Creates drooping brushes of inflorescences up to 20 cm long. Openwork leaves have a dark burgundy hue when blooming, which is later replaced by a bluish color. Dicentra bushes are large, branching, reach a height of 1 m. They are unpretentious in care, belong to zone 4 (frosts up to -290WITH).
What does dicentra go with?
The exotic shrub prefers shaded places and feels great under trees, in the shade of an apple tree, linden tree, bird cherry tree, next to the house, where the shadow falls on it at least occasionally. Dicentra goes well with the same shade-loving perennials.
Some species can grow well in a sunny area. The dicentra in the garden, as seen in the photo, is filled with a flower carpet with tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and phlox. The flower will look great with kupena, lungwort, primrose, and various types of ferns. Low-growing species of dicentra, together with forget-me-nots and primrose, will create a beautiful flower bed against the backdrop of crushed stone or tiles along the garden path.
Photo of dicentra flowers in a flowerbed
Many gardeners have noted that dicentra is friendly with other flowers and does not mind being adjacent to representatives of different cultures in the flowerbed, which is clearly visible in the photo below. To create not only a beautiful composition, but also the correct location, you need to carefully select a place for an exotic flower.
Conclusion
Varieties and types of dicentra with photos and names will help you choose a variety of exotic plant that will beautifully fit into the landscape of your garden plot, emphasizing its advantages and hiding its shortcomings. Having information in advance about the conditions in which the flower will be able to show itself in all its glory, you can purchase a crop of exactly those varieties that will grow without problems and delight you with its flowering.
