Bleeding Heart in Zone 5a & 5b

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

When to plant bleeding heart in zone 5b

Zones 5a and 5b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Bleeding Heart doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.

Start indoors	Not typically started indoors
Direct sow / transplant outside	Apr 12–Apr 19
Estimated bloom	Apr 11 '28–Apr 18 '28 (First real harvest the season after planting)

Spacing: about 2 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-3 ft.

Bleeding heart is a spring perennial with arching stems of pendant pink and white flowers, and it disappears entirely partway through the year.

How bleeding heart fits zone 5's season

Zone 5b's frost-free window runs about 148 days, from May 10 to October 5. Bleeding Heart takes about 1 growing season to reach full flowering, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.

Bleeding Heart is hardy in zones 3-9, so in zone 5b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 2 ft of spread at maturity.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Bleeding Heart.

Where to buy bleeding heart seeds

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