perennial
Western bleeding heart
Dicentra formosa
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Dicentra formosa is a perennial for gardens in zones 4–8. It grows 1–1.5 ft tall and 1.5–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it part shade to shade and average water. It flowers pink in March to June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Pacific Northwest and California. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Dicentra formosa
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 8
- Sun
- Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Humus-rich, well-drained woodland soil.
- Mature size
- 1–1.5 ft tall × 1.5–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Mar–Jun · pink
- Roles in a bed
- Filler, Edge
- Styles
- natural, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. ASPCA lists bleeding hearts (Dicentra) as toxic.
- Native to
- Pacific Northwest and California
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Cut back tired foliage in midsummer; it regrows with autumn rain.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Western bleeding heart, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Canadian wild gingerAsarum canadensegroundcover · zones 3–8
- GoatsbeardAruncus dioicusperennial · zones 3–7
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Western sword fernPolystichum munitumfern · zones 5–9
- Fringed bleeding heartDicentra eximiaperennial · zones 3–9
- Oregon grape 'Compacta'Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta'shrub · zones 5–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Western bleeding heart: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants