Is Bleeding Heart deer resistant?
Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
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.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- ButtercupRanunculus sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Bleeding Heart grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Bleeding Heart belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Bleeding Heart
- Is Bleeding Heart deer resistant?
- Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. 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.