Care of Bleeding Heart

Earlier this summer I bought a healthy-looking bleeding heart plant with several lovely flowers. It is planted on the south side of our house. The original flowers matured and dropped off. I keep watering it and now I have a bigger bush with good-looking green leaves, but no flowers. What am I doing wrong?

You did nothing wrong. Continue to water and wait to fertilize. Too much fertilizer can encourage foliage and discourage flowers. Common bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) blooms in spring. After that you have foliage that usually dies back in mid summer. Fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) puts on its biggest flower display in late spring and early summer then continues to hold its leaves and bloom sporadically throughout the season. New plantings of these and other perennials often cease blooming the first season when they are moved into the garden. The plant sends the energy to the roots instead of the flowers. This is good for the long term health of the plant but a bit disappointing for us.

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