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Recently I treated myself to this pretty Dicentra formosa ‘Aurora’ at a local plant market. It’s not the most practical of plants to choose for a Suffolk garden, given our often hot and dry weather. I do however have a couple of shady spots in the garden, so I’m hoping that it will be happy enough in one of them.
I must admit that there was a lot of nostalgia involved in choosing this plant. When we lived in Scotland I used to grow the very similar Dicentra formosa ‘Langtrees’. That one had very silver-grey foliage and made a wonderful ferny-looking ground cover. (It did die back if the weather got hot though, so needed to be amongst other plants that would hide bald patches.)
Dicentra formosa isn’t as showy as the better-known ‘Bleeding Heart’, Dicentra spectabilis, which has had its name changed to ‘Lamprocapnos spectabilis’. (Why are plant names inevitably changed to something that would make a great tongue-twister?) But I reckon this is a lovely plant which should look good alongside the other plants in my garden…if I can help it survive!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Very beautiful flowers. Is it related to Bleeding Hearts as I saw you mentioned them in your post.
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Yes, they are related, although bleeding hearts have had their name changed from Dicentra to Lamprocapnos. (Had to check the spelling of that one!) Glad you like them! 🙂
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Thank you! Their name is a tongue twister!
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Your mention of the change from Dicentra to Lamprocapnos reminds me that some years ago I went on a field trip led by a botany professor. She said it’s ironic that in so many cases now the common name of a species has proved more stable than the scientific name.
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The name changes make life difficult and confusing for gardeners! Especially because the new names are so often hard to spell and hard to pronounce. And then they’re hard to remember too, so the common names are more likely to be used.
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Lovely plant indeed! Seeing for the first time!
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I’m glad to be able to show you something new, Indira! 🙂
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Not only that — some sources stick with the old scientific names even after the change. Horticultural sites are especially given to that, although the USDA usually lags, too. It can be very confusing.
This flower is pretty enough, in an odd sort of way. It looks to me like a bleeding heart that didn’t have the ‘oomph’ to fully develop. It will be interesting to see what it looks like if it thrives and spreads. If it pleases you, that’s what counts!
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They are rather strange little flowers! Amazing how nature produces such variety. 🙂
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I’ve never before seen a flower I’d describe as ‘plump,’ but this is it!
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it really is quite a beauty. I hope you find a location that suits it.
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Thanks Jude – I’ll try putting it in an area where I know I’ll have to make sure that it’s neighbours get a bit of water in summer. makes it so much easier if the thirstier plants are together.
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I thought the flowers looked familiar, as they reminded me of “bleeding hearts.” Our neighbor grows some of those in her garden and I get to enjoy them from a distance.
I hope your formosas will do formidably well.
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I’ve grown the ‘bleeding hearts’ in the past – and quite fancy trying the white ones, which look very elegant. 🙂
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I grow this in my garden. Such a beautiful image of this W hite Bleeding Heart. Anita
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Thank you Anita! They’re lovely plants to have in the garden, especially with the delicate foliage.
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