Bleeding Heart

One of my favorite NW native plants, the Pacific Bleeding Heart can be found primarily in coastal areas in moist wooded ravines and along streams from low to mid elevations. This beauty of a plant grows all through coastal BC, moister areas of Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Used medicinally by indigenous people throughout these regions, the Skagit people were known to use the decoction of the roots to get rid of worms. The fresh roots were chewed for tooth aches, although today the plant is considered toxic and treated with caution for internal or external use. The rather exotic looking fringed foliage appears in early spring followed by the distinctive heart shaped pink flowers as beautiful as any cultivated variety and very attractive to hummingbirds and bees. They bloom over a longer period of time than most cultivated types and can reach up to 18 inches in height. This hardy perennial will spread slowly from Rhizomes and is a lovely addition to the shade garden. Very drought tolerant once established. Prefers shade or part shade, hardy to Zones 3-9.