My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial · Papaveraceae

Is Bleeding Heart deer resistant?

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Arching stem of bleeding heart hung with pink heart-shaped flowers
Photo by Wuzur, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 1 of 4 · Rarely Damaged

Yes. Deer almost always leave this alone.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
24–36 in
Bloom
April–June
Maintenance
Low
Family
Papaveraceae
Toxic to
cats and dogs

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Bleeding Heart

Shade-tolerant and genuinely deer-proof, which is an unusually useful combination and the reason it appears on every list of hosta alternatives.

It has one habit that catches people out: it disappears. By midsummer, once the heat arrives, the whole plant yellows and dies back to the ground, leaving a bare gap where a large perennial used to be. This is normal dormancy, not failure, and the commonest mistake is digging it up in July assuming it died.

Plant it with something that expands late to cover the hole. Ferns, hellebore and hosta all do this well, and ferns and hellebore are deer-proof too. The fringed species holds its foliage far longer if the summer gap bothers you.

Soil and care

Soil pH
6 to 7
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Fertility
Moderate
Spacing
18 to 24 in apart
Growth rate
Moderate
Maintenance
Low

Tolerances and uses

Drought
Low
Salt
Low
Pollinators
Low

Similar to Bleeding Heart

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where Bleeding Heart grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Bleeding Heart

Is Bleeding Heart deer resistant?
Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is rated Rarely Damaged, step 1 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer almost always leave this alone.
What hardiness zones does Bleeding Heart grow in?
Bleeding Heart is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Bleeding Heart grow in shade?
Yes. Bleeding Heart tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Bleeding Heart get?
Mature height is roughly 24–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.
When does Bleeding Heart bloom?
Bleeding Heart flowers from April–June.
Is Bleeding Heart toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Bleeding Heart as toxic to cats and dogs. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Bleeding Heart belongs to.

All perennials·Rarely damaged·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .