Dicentra formosa Aurora

27.06.2023 - 08:44 / aberdeengardening.co.uk

See how Dicentra Formosa Aurora and the pink form performs in our Aberdeen garden.

Dicentra Formosa Aurora, not just a Spring flowering plant

This is a great plant to use for ground cover. Don’t mistake it for the Chinese form, (Dicentra Spectabilis) which most of us know as Bleeding Heart.

In our garden, front and back we have the white form of Formosa and also the pink, I think I have a preference for the white, but I will also add a couple of pictures of the pink one.

The ferny blue/green leaves of Dicentra Formosa Aurora start to form in the month of March up here in Aberdeen.  The flowering period is very long and normally is said to be from early May till late August.  This Spring the first blooms opened in the second week of March and the plants were smothered with the creamy white flowers by mid April.  To be honest, the plant generally is said to have creamy white blooms but to me they look pure white.

In our garden it grows to about 30cm/12 inches tall at the most.

I find the flowers of this Dicentra are at their very best in late Spring, on the other hand it could well be that, by the end of the Summer I have had my fill of them.

If white flowers are not for you then the pink form except for colour is identical.

Your Dicentra will grow in any reasonable free draining garden soil.  The plant spreads quite rapidly and you may feel the need to keep it in check. Unlike the Chinese form Spectabilis where we so often find the foliage dying back completely, you may be happy to know that this is not the case with the form Formosa.

Height—39cm/12″

Hardiness—Fully hardy

Position—Full sun/part shade/will do well enough North facing

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