Bang! Ka-pow! Ooooooh! Aaaaahhh! What better way to usher in the holiday than with this firecracker of a plant? Dicentra formosa, a California native for shade, at first glance seems more at home in the Japanese garden amongst Hostas or even Coleus, yet thrives in areas alongside Yarrow, Columbines, or Snowberry. This particular plant, 'Burning Hearts' is a hybrid with blue-green, divided foliage and an incredible bright, candy scent. Even better, it promises to bloom from March to September!
Sun: Part shade to shade
Soil: Well-drained
Plant: Anytime, but Autumn is probably best- right before the Winter rains come
Buy it: Hmmm, I got this from the wholesale nursery, so I can't honestly say. Ask your local nursery if they can order this particular hybrid, but order the true-blood native from California Flora Nursery, Oaktown Native Nursery, or East Bay Wilds.
Good for: Color! In shade! Japanese-style native gardens, tea party gardens, fragrant gardens, attracting hummingbirds, watercolor artists looking for new muses.
Oh, my God, this is truly the best plant ever. EVER!
ReplyDeleteThe shape of the flower reminds me of your Flourishing line, now that I think about it... Not sure how it'll fare Cincinnati winters, though.
ReplyDeleteStunning! I have to get some of those. Does it go summer dormant unless I water it a lot (the ones I have do that...)
ReplyDeleteHi TM! Yes, probably. I should reiterate, however that this one isn't pure native, but a hybrid of a native and non-native variety. Some folks are more purist about this stuff than I am!
ReplyDeleteDoes this transplant well? I've got it on the side of my house, where I never go. I'm worried that in my haste to enjoy this plant I'd end up killing it.
ReplyDeleteI assume that any transplanting would happen in the late fall or early winter.
My grandmother grew these in our garden in Gdynia [hence my love of all kinds of weird "old lady" flowers], which has a fairly cool climate. I don't know what she did during the winter to protect the plants. She was pretty crafty about growing things that don't typically grow in that part of Poland.
ReplyDeleteHey Lisa- I would transplant in the Fall or Winter when it's a little sleepy. I'm sure it won't be too finicky if it's put in a happy spot.
ReplyDeleteVL- you know, now that I think about it, they are also native to the P. Northwest. Maybe this will help?
http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=DIFO
I propagated some from roots (stolons?) and they took off like gangbusters. But they are currently looking not so good. Do the leaves sometimes go brown in summer or is it something I'm doing I wonder?
ReplyDeleteMy leaves are green and lush, but we might have a milder climate than yours.
ReplyDeleteI love Dicentas. I have Dicenta spectabilis in the garden.
ReplyDelete