In Europe there is a belief: if you want to meet your love, break the center. That's what they call it garden flower A broken heart, planting and caring for which is not difficult even in the conditions of the Non-Black Earth Region and Siberia.
Its long, thin flower stalks with small pink or red hearts decorated the front gardens of many homeowners back in the last century.
Decorative perennial begins to bloom around mid-May.
There are several different types, the flowering dates of which do not coincide and allow you to decorate your garden with unusual plants until the fall.
IN Lately Many varieties of foreign selection with unusual flower or leaf colors have also appeared.
All species have one characteristic in common: an unopened flower looks like a miniature pink, white, yellow or lilac heart 2 cm in diameter.
They are collected on long peduncles in graceful brushes. Heart-shaped flowers open as if splitting in the middle.
At the same time, the long petals of the inner row become visible. Depending on the variety and type of dicentra, they can be contrastingly colored in white, purple, yellow or pink.
Majority known species have dissected leaves of a greenish-gray color with dark red or purple petioles.
It looks very decorative in group plantings, even when the plant has faded. In some species (Dicentra canadensis), the carved leaves have the usual herbaceous tint, and the breeding form Gold heart (Gold heart, 2004) has golden foliage.
The height of the bushes ranges from 60 - 80 cm (magnificent dicentra, or spectabilis) to 15 - 20 cm (vagrant and hooded).
When using flowers broken heart V landscape design Such a variety of sizes makes it possible to decorate borders and perennial flower beds with them.
There is even a curly look with compact tassels yellow flowers, on the basis of which some varieties for vertical gardening were created.
Large bushes planted on the lawn can be used as tapeworms, and small ones can be used to decorate alpine slides.
When choosing a place for purchased broken heart bushes, you need to take into account that plants of different types require and different conditions.
A common feature for all is the requirement for soil and air humidity. Living in the lower tier of forests and on coastal mountain slopes, dicentras are considered psychrophytes, that is, moisture-loving plants.
This does not mean that they will do well in swampy soil. When choosing a location in a central garden, you need to select an area on a slope or in an elevated part of the garden, where there is a natural outflow of excess moisture.
If the area is relatively flat, then when planting you should make a good drainage “cushion” of sand or crushed stone at least 10 - 15 cm thick.
To plant bushes of tall varieties, it is advisable to use fertile, but light and breathable soil.
At home, a mixture of garden soil with leaf humus, well-rotted (last year's) manure from cucumber beds or peat is suitable.
Low-growing dicentra wandering is best planted on sandy and sandy loamy light soils with good drainage.
The area for planting needs to be dug up in the fall, adding humus (0.5 buckets per 1 m²). The digging depth should be significant - about 40 cm, so that the soil is very loose.
On heavy soils, you can additionally add sand at 0.3 - 0.5 buckets per 1 m² and create good drainage. Dicentra is planted next spring when the soil thaws.
Lighting requirements also vary markedly:
By choosing the right locations for several varieties, you can enjoy the flowering of broken heart from mid-May to September. In Siberia, flowering continues until autumn frosts.
Despite the demanding soil and differences in needs sunlight, caring for plants is relatively easy.
Dicentra bushes will require the main care during the hot, dry period. It is necessary to water the plant in time to a depth of more than 1 - 2 cm, preventing the soil under the bushes from drying out.
After watering upper layer the soil is loosened, providing free access of oxygen to the roots of the bush.
To maintain soil moisture and looseness for a long time, it is recommended to mulch it with crushed tree bark, sawdust or similar porous material.
The protective layer also provides good protection against annual weeds that cannot grow through the mulch.
In the Non-Black Earth Region and Siberia, severe return frosts occur in spring. This usually happens after a period of warm weather in April, when many flower crops begin to grow.
A frost-sensitive broken heart may lose its flower fronds and leaves if care is not taken to provide shelter if the forecast is unfavorable.
You can protect the plant with non-woven material, burlap, draped over a thick wire frame installed near the bush.
It is believed that the simple operation of cutting off flowering shoots extends the flowering period of the entire plant, allowing it to form new arrows.
Preparation for winter involves removing the entire above-ground part of the bush. Foliage and stems should be cut at a height of 4 - 5 cm from the ground level.
After this, the soil around the dicentra must be covered with a layer of spruce branches or straw or other mulching material. The frost resistance of the plant allows it to be grown without shelter in regions where there is good snow cover and the temperature does not drop below -25°C.
In other cases, you should take care of the dicenter and protect it in case of severe frosts.
There are several ways to plant dicentra in your garden. Most often used vegetative methods reproduction:
IN Russian conditions the plant does not have suitable pollinating insects, so seeds are set very rarely and in small quantity.
But in gardening companies you can buy bags of seeds of species and breeding dicentras.
Growing from seeds is not particularly popular, because with this method of propagation the plant blooms only 3–4 years after sowing.
It is produced directly into the ground before winter, covering the crops with lutrasil. It is advisable to sow at a later date, when the soil temperature does not exceed +15°C. They will emerge only in the spring.
If seed material is purchased in winter, sowing can be done in February-March. Germination occurs at a temperature of +18...+20°C after 1 month.
After 2 true leaves appear, the seedlings can be planted into separate pots. In May, you can already plant the grown dicentra.
Dicentra, planting and care open ground which are produced according to general rules, will please long flowering.
Vegetative propagation of dicentra involves the use of parts of the bush. Dicentra is beautiful, or graceful, and its relatives tolerate replanting well once every 3-4 years (in spring or autumn). In this case, you can disassemble the bush into several separate ones, planting them in other places in the garden.
Green shoots are used for cuttings. Dicentra magnificent reproduces in this way only in early spring.
In other species, it is possible to root pieces of shoots throughout the season. Cuttings 10 - 15 cm long should be planted in loose soil and placed under cover to maintain air humidity.
You can also plant root cuttings. Pieces of roots 10-20 cm long should be buried in wet soil.
Sprouts will appear in 4 - 5 weeks. They should be planted in a permanent place only next spring.
To create beautiful compositions and mixborders, both tall and low-growing varieties dicenters or broken hearts.
One of the most common representatives of tall varieties can be considered the Valentine variety.
This is a powerful plant up to 80 - 100 cm tall, with long peduncles spread to the sides. The heart-shaped flowers are bright pink.
When blooming, the inner petals of contrasting color become visible. white. The variety appeared quite a long time ago and managed to win its fans.
New breeding forms: dicentra Spectabilis alba (Alba) and Purple avrora (Purple Dawn) have an unusual color for this species.
These are varieties with completely white and purple and white flowers. The bushes are powerful, like other varieties of Dicentra magnificent, but slightly lower than the previous variety: they reach only 60 cm in height even in a semi-shaded place. Flowering dates for both varieties are mid-May and June.
Among the medium-growing graceful dicentral varieties, varieties can be represented by variations of white (Aurora, Ivory Hearts), rich red (Burning Hearts) and mauve (King of Hearts).
Their bushes differ from previous varieties not only in height (up to 40 cm), but also in appearance.
Each flower arrow carries compact tassels of 5 - 8 buds. Long dark stems stand out effectively against the background of bluish foliage. These varieties begin to bloom in June and continue until autumn.
Among the miniature representatives are Canadian (pink), cap (white), exceptional (lilac) dicentras.
These varieties are rarely taller than 20 cm. They can be integrated into the garden landscape as border or alpine plants.
The thickets of Canadian broken heart under the canopy of trees are very beautiful. Their flowering period is extended, and in a cool, rainy summer, the tassels of hearts will delight you until the fall.
You can combine a broken heart with delicate spring flowers: tulips, daffodils, doronicum and others, planting them as a lining for a large bush.
For small representatives, small-bulbous species (muscari, scillas, etc.) are suitable.
In the summer, clumps of low varieties under bushes with dark foliage, shading the bluish or grass-green carved leaves and light flowers.
Small-sized dicentra plants can be successfully grown both in flowerpots and in room conditions.
Exceptional dicentra is especially good for winter forcing. When growing in a container, you will need to carefully ensure that the soil does not dry out. If there is a lack of moisture, the plant stops blooming and goes into a dormant state.
The climbing forms (Golden Tears, Golden Vine) have yellow flowers, the only ones among their relatives.
Climbing vines look great on trellises with clematis and annual bindweeds. For landscaping shaded areas, it is difficult for them to find neighbors, so they can solo on the northern walls of buildings.
This unpretentious plant does not require complex care, but can add extraordinary charm to shady and semi-shaded corners of the garden.
The fragility of long peduncles, the unusual shape of the flower, and beautiful carved leaves contribute to this.
Dicentra splendid rarely gets sick and is affected by pests.
Sometimes it gets ringspot and tobacco mosaic. Spots and stripes appear on young leaves, and on mature leaves there are elongated light rings that look like an oak leaf.
If the plant's flower stalks are bent, it means that it has been affected by mycoplasma disease. Soon the plant will stop growing and the flowers will turn yellow or green.
Thanks to timely preventive treatments with fungicides, the proliferation of the above diseases can be prevented.
Of all the variety of pests, the dicentra is affected only by aphids, which can be easily destroyed using Biotlin treatments.
U unusual plant dicenters set folk names: broken heart, Žaneta's heart, Virgin Mary's slipper, bloody heart. This is because the flowers of this plant are shaped like hearts split in two. Legends associated with the flower speak of an unhappy but great love, personified by the dicentra.
Dicentra is a herbaceous perennial from the Dimyanaceae or Poppy family. In nature, the flower can be found in Asian countries (Japan, China, Korea), as well as in the USA and Canada. In our country, dicentra grows in forests in the Far East.
The plant is a herbaceous shrub, from 50 cm to a meter in height, there are varieties - lianas. The leaves are pinnate, strongly dissected into segments, from light green to dark green. Dicentra branches grow from the center of the bush, smoothly bending in a beautiful arc on which they are located large flowers in the shape of a heart. The color of the petals depends on the variety and can be red, pink, yellow, white, or pale blue. Inside the flower, a fruit-box with black seeds ripens.
Many varieties of “Broken Heart” have been developed that can be grown in the garden and at home.
Having looked at the photo of the flower, you can be sure that the name “broken heart” was not given to it by chance.
IN natural conditions Dicentra grows on the edges of forests, under the shade of tree crowns. In an open sunny place it will be uncomfortable, the delicate petals will burn. In dense shade the plant feels good, but blooms poorly.
It is optimal for a flower to plant it next to large plants or openwork buildings so that light partial shade covers it during the day. It’s also not worth planting dicentra in the wind, the flower’s petals are too delicate.
At home, the dicentra is placed on north-eastern or eastern windows, shading during the midday hours.
Dicentra does not have any special requirements for soil. Loose and fertile lands, without stagnation of moisture. In low places where melt water stagnates, the flower is not planted.
When starting to plant dicentra, the soil is carefully dug up, removing all weed roots. For 1 sq. meter of area contribute mineral fertilizer(superphosphate or ready-made mixture for flowers) - 25 - 30 g, and well-rotted manure or compost - up to 5 kg.
If the soil contains a high percentage of clay, add sand, up to 7 - 8 kg per square. Drainage (expanded clay, crushed stone) is poured into the bottom of the planting hole. This will allow the water to drain away without stagnating in the root zone. 
The crop needs regular watering, loosening the soil, and weeding. You can make this work easier by mulching the plantings with a layer of peat, tree bark or small pebbles. Mulch will prevent weed seeds from germinating, retain moisture in the soil, and protect the roots from overheating.
During the season, the “broken heart” is fed up to 5 times. Before flowering apply organic fertilizers(mullein infusion in a ratio of 1 to 10) or superphosphate 15 g per 1 sq. meter, during and after flowering - phosphorus-potassium. Fertilizing the plant is completed by August, so as not to provoke the bush to form new greenery.
After flowering, faded buds are removed from the bush so that it does not waste energy on producing seeds. In addition, drying flowers spoil the appearance of the dicentra.
In autumn (September - October), the above-ground part of the dicentra is cut to a height of 5 - 7 cm. The base of the bush is sprinkled with peat or sawdust to a height of 12 - 15 cm, covered with spruce branches or agro-fabric. When snow falls, you can throw a small snowdrift on top of the shelter. In spring, the insulation should be removed gradually, layer by layer, allowing the flower to get used to the fresh air. 
A “broken heart” is rarely affected by disease, but you need to know why a flower can suffer. Dicentra can suffer from root and stem rot, ring spot and microplasma disease. Unfortunately, treatment of dicentra is not effective; diseased bushes are destroyed and the soil is disinfected with a formaldehyde solution.
It is better to prevent the occurrence of infection than to part with beautiful plants. To do this, follow all the rules for growing a flower, and the soil is spilled with antibacterial drugs before planting. Dicentra should not be flooded or planted too thickly, then the plants will be healthy.
You can plant low-growing varieties of “broken heart” in pots and admire the subtle beauty of the flower at home, on the balcony or terrace.
Almost all blooming summer season“Broken Heart” is good in shady flower beds, among ferns, .
Large dicentra bushes look harmonious in single plantings. The shape of the bush is such that any neighbors seem superfluous.
Watch also the video
Do you dream of planting something unusual and very beautiful in your garden? Yes, plus the fact that caring for him would not be burdensome? Then broken heart flowers are exactly what you need. These amazing plants will not only create an exclusive and original design, but they will also give you many pleasant moments caring for them, and perhaps even help solve some personal problems.
It must be said that scientifically the plant is called dicentra, translated from Hellenic it is “double-spurted”. The ancient Greeks saw two spurs in this fragile and delicate flower, and named it that way. In other countries, the same flower is known as the lady in the bath (if the flower is turned upside down, it looks like) Mother of God, Jeannette's heart, lyre.
It has such unusual names as bloody heart and even Dutch pants. In Russia, the name of the plant is mysterious and a little intriguing - broken heart flowers. This is based on the appearance of the flowers. They look like hearts split in half. The French even have a legend about the unfortunate girl Jeannette, who fell in love with one beautiful young man, and he married another. Jeannette's heart broke from grief, and in the place where she died, he grew up beautiful flower. They say that now broken heart flowers help all lovers find their happiness. This plant is native to Southeast Asia ( Far East, Korea, China). Some varieties can be found in Canada and Japan. The beautiful dicentra conquered Europe three times. At the end of the 18th century, its specimen was described by Carl Linnaeus; at the beginning of the 19th century, it was brought for flower gardens, but the flower went unnoticed. Another 50 years later, it fell into the hands of an amateur gardener, thanks to whom it finally took its rightful place among the leading plants in garden floriculture.
Broken heart flowers, or dicentra splendid, are the only plant species in the genus Lambrocapnos (in Latin Lamprocapnos), which means “brilliant, shining smoke.” Plant family - Poppy. This flower was identified as a separate species only in 1997, after visual and molecular studies. It is a herbaceous shrub, perennial by type of vegetation.
There are 20 types of broken hearts, 9 of which are garden ones. The height of some is only 12-15 cm, others grow up to 2 meters. The average height of the plant is 1 meter. The stems are erect or arcuately inclined to the ground, the leaves are carved, gray-smoky below, green above, reaching up to 12 cm long (with petiole). The flowers of a broken heart are incredibly beautiful. Outwardly, they resemble heart pendants on strings. In some countries, the plant is called a lady's pendant. Their color is pink, crimson, red, less often purple and white. Nature has collected flowers of a broken heart from four petals - two bright outer ones, slightly flattened, wide at the base and narrowed, deviating towards different sides at the end, and two inner ones - not bright, often white, narrow, elongated, as if protruding from the outer ones. They grow in clusters of inflorescences. Their fruits are oblong capsules with 2-8 round black seeds inside.
A broken heart is a flower that can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, or dividing the bush. Each method has its pros and cons.
It is difficult to propagate this plant from seeds, but it is possible. Sometimes there is no other choice at all, for example, when there is nowhere to get a cutting of the desired rare species. If you collect the seeds yourself, there is a risk that they will not have time to ripen before frost. Although in the southern regions of Russia, dicenters even self-sow. The germination of a broken heart is unimportant. To get results, you need to follow these rules:
1. All seeds - both collected independently and purchased - must undergo stratification, for which they must be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. After this, they can be sown in open ground in April-May (depending on the region). How to prepare a garden bed will be discussed below. You can sow seeds directly into the ground in the fall (in regions where there are no harsh winters). Then they will undergo natural stratification on their own. But it is best to sow seeds in containers and germinate them at home. The room temperature is not lower than +15 and not higher than +20 degrees, the soil humidity in the containers is moderate, but the soil should not dry out. You will have to wait about a month for germination. The seedlings are transplanted into the ground in the spring, when the warm weather. Their care is normal. It is advisable to cover fragile plants for the winter. Flowering will delight you in the third year.
The perennial flower broken heart can be taken from cuttings in spring and until mid-summer. If you do this later, there is a risk that the young shoot will not have time to take root and grow stronger before frost. Cuttings are prepared with a sharp knife, cutting off shoots with thickenings near the rhizome itself. You can keep them for a day in water with honey (1 teaspoon per glass) or in another rooting agent (according to the instructions), or you can immediately place them in the ground, burying them to a depth of 10 cm. The planting site should be sufficiently moist. Cover the top with film or press down with glass. It is also advisable to cover the cuttings from straight sun rays. Roots should appear in a month. For the winter, the young plant needs to be covered with leaves or spruce branches, but with the first warm days, be sure to remove the cover so that the plants are not covered.
What needs to be done to ensure that the eyes of the hostess are always pleased with the flowers of a broken heart? Caring for this plant is not very difficult. One of its stages is the rejuvenation of the green pet every 3-5 years. This is a good reason to propagate dicentra by dividing the bush. If necessary, this “operation” can be carried out more often, but do not bring the bush to complete exhaustion. It is reasonable to divide the rhizomes before or after the flowering of the dicentra, that is, either in the spring or by the end of summer - beginning of autumn. They are dug out of the ground carefully, keeping in mind the toxicity of the plant and the fragility of the roots. To make them more elastic, the dug out bush can be left in the air for a short time. Divide the rhizomes so that each segment has at least 4 living buds (shoots). It is advisable to treat the “wounds” with some kind of antiseptic, for example, a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The cuttings are placed in holes, sprinkled with earth, and watered. You can additionally sprinkle ash on top. It will bloom next year.
Broken heart is a flower that can be planted in any corner of the garden where water does not stagnate. The plant blooms more luxuriantly and longer in partial shade, for example, in places shaded by foliage. tall trees. But if the shadow from them is dense, the dicentra will bloom rather poorly and for a short time. The same is true in bright sunshine. No, the plant will develop, but it will not give lush color. Dicentra varieties with beautiful carved foliage are planted in sunny meadows and in the shade. In the chosen place, it is advisable to dig up the soil in advance and apply fertilizers (mineral - 20 g per square, organic - 2-3 kg per meter). The holes are made with a diameter and depth of half a meter. Drainage made of fine crushed stone is laid at the bottom. Such holes can be prepared in the fall under spring planting. It must be taken into account that the dicenters of many species grow greatly. In order not to turn the plantings into thickets, holes are dug no closer than 50 cm from one another.
A broken heart is a flower that is quite simple to plant and care for. After placing the plant in the prepared hole, it must be watered, but there is no need to overdo it so that the roots do not rot. In order not to make mistakes with moisture, the soil around the bushes is mulched. To get more lush flowering at the beginning of spring, a broken heart can be fed with superphosphate fertilizers, and during the season - a couple more times with mineral fertilizers. In the fall, it is useful to add nitrogen to the plant's diet to encourage new buds to form. During the summer, in addition to watering, you need to weed out the weeds, trim off the faded brushes, and in the fall cut off the dry stems, leaving stumps up to 5 cm high sticking out of the ground. It is very good to sprinkle them on top with peat.
Broken heart flowers are beautiful and exclusive. Cultivation in gardens is carried out in group plantings or single ones. Depending on the type, dicenters are used in alpine slides, to create borders, as single spectacular plants in the center of the flower beds. We must not forget that a broken heart, as it fades, loses its foliage, so it is advisable to plant flowers next to it that can replace it. Corydalis, aquilegia, heuchera, and astilbe look good next to the dicentra. In spring, scillas and daffodils create a beautiful contrast. A broken heart does not mind the proximity of linden trees, apple trees, and bird cherry trees. This flower is also suitable for cutting, but we must not forget that all its parts are poisonous.
In the garden or at home in a vase will create a special lyrical mood delicate flower broken heart. The signs associated with him may not be serious, but they are interesting. For example, the Germans believe that girls who put such a living “heart” in their bosom will meet their betrothed on the same day, and guys who pick a flower will meet their bride.
Dicentra magnificent, or broken heart, is a flower that is never difficult to plant and care for, and is very popular among gardeners. The varieties that are planted most often are Alba (white flowers) and Gold Heart (pale pink or red flowers and golden foliage). Relatively recently released new variety Valentine with showy cherry hearts on dark stems. In addition to these species, beautiful dicentra is often planted, which is slightly lower than magnificent (up to 30 cm), and its flowers, accordingly, are slightly smaller. But it is easily propagated by seeds. Varieties: Aurora (white flowers), Spring Gold (leaves change color from green to golden), King of Hearts (silver foliage), Ivory Hearts (cream flowers), Luxuriant, Bacchanal (cherry hearts). The beautiful dicentra is valued for its long flowering and decorative foliage.
This is what they call the exceptional dicentra. Due to its miniature size (up to 20 cm), it is mainly used to decorate borders, rockeries, alpine slides. It blooms for the longest time - from May until frost. The peculiarity of the flower is its creeping root, which should be taken into account when planning plantings. The flowers of this species are mostly white and pink. The plant has the property of intoxicating, for which it is also called connecting rod grass.
In addition to this species, there are also low and rare in our gardens dicentra canadensis, cape, and few-flowered ones. They bloom very luxuriantly, adapt well to the sun, but have very poisonous tubers.
In contrast to the dwarf varieties, there is a giant dicentra, growing more than 2 meters in height. Its flowers are yellow, which is why it is called yellow broken heart. This species blooms from May until frost. The plant looks impressive near the walls of buildings, near fences, and in arched structures. It is advisable to cover it for the winter; there are no other difficulties in caring for it.
There is a plant called Dicentra, or Broken Heart, the flower comes from the Fumariaceae. It was brought to Europe from Asia (Japan, China) in the 19th century. The French, lovers of romantic legends, call it “Jeanette’s flower,” telling the story of the beautiful Jeanette and her misadventures. The girl Jeanette went into the forest to get the gifts of nature, but soon got lost and began to call for help. But only the howl of wolves was her answer. It was getting dark. Suddenly, a handsome young man on a bay stallion appeared from behind the trees, rode up to the upset girl and calmed her down. Then he put her behind him and took her to her home village. She was so frightened and stunned that she did not even have time to ask the name of the savior. The girl in love, remembering the stranger's farewell kiss, waited and grieved for a whole year, and one morning outside the window the ringing of the bells of a wedding trio of white horses was heard. Running out onto the porch, she saw that it was her savior riding with his young wife. Her heart could not stand it, she fell to the ground and turned into a flower of unearthly beauty. And people called it “Jeanette’s flower.”
Dicentra unpretentious plant and is valued in decorative floriculture for its original flower shape.
Russians call this flower for its appearance: a small double heart with a crack. The name "dicenter" is translated from Greek language like (“dis” and “kentron” - “twice” and “spur”).
Exist the following types and dicentra varieties:
Dicentra canadensis begins to bloom in mid-spring.
Dicentra is a stately perennial plant up to 1 m high. The leaves of the plant are lacy, greenish, shimmering or silvered. They themselves are quite interesting and may well decorate a flower garden after flowering has finished.
Still, this plant captivates with its unique flowers: small flat hearts gathered together, and a white “tongue” peeks out from the open lower part. The slightest breath of wind causes the hearts to sway a little. The color of the dicentra is white or pink. The flowering period is from May to September, the peak of flowering is June. In early autumn the leaves turn yellow and die until spring.
A mandatory technique when growing dicentra is feeding with superphosphate.
Dicentra magnificent requires moist, loose soil fertilized with humus. Grateful for your care, the flower will grow and bloom wildly. What the magnificent dicentra does not like is stagnation of water - its rhizomes quickly begin to rot. At the same time, it does not tolerate drought; if it suffers from lack of water, early death should be expected. As soon as the first shoots are visible from the ground in early spring, the soil around the “broken heart” flower should be carefully loosened several centimeters deep and mulched. Care must be taken to ensure that periodically recurring night frosts do not adversely affect sensitive plants.
To prevent it from freezing, the dicentra is covered with a cloth or spruce paws. A denser cover may harm it, because... The plant, in principle, tolerates winter well in our latitudes. After wilting, the leaves of the plant are removed and small sections are left. In general, caring for the dicentra plant is not difficult. Grows well in both shade and sun. Planting it in shaded areas will help prolong its flowering, but in this case it will bloom later. Another way to prolong flowering is to remove dead flowers. Do not forget to add soil under the plants every year, as the roots growing upward are exposed and the plant may get sick and die.
One of the conditions for healthy flowering is the presence of sufficient feeding with superphosphate. To stimulate flowering next year, water with organic (up to 5 kg/sq.m.) and nitrogen-containing fertilizers, because dicentra likes to “refuel” tightly before the cold weather.
Another trick that many experienced gardeners use is removing flower stalks after flowering. And you can wait for flowering again. Dicentra can be planted in a group with primrose and peonies, lungwort and daffodils.
You can use several methods of propagation and planting: roots, sprouts and seeds.
The option of propagation by seeds is not very good, since in our latitudes most often they either do not ripen or remain undeveloped and weak. If you still manage to collect seeds, they should be sown immediately.
Dicentra propagates by dividing the rhizome; this is usually done in May, when the first shoots appear.
A good solution is to plant and propagate by cuttings or roots. It is better to do this at least every 4-5 years.
Ground cuttings must be cut in June-July. To get fresh cuttings, you need to carefully remove the top soil layer at the base of the bush and cut off the cutting with a sharp tool. The cuttings take root slowly (about a month). To stimulate growth, you need to hold them in a special solution and then plant them in the ground, not forgetting to cover them. The grown flowers are assigned to a permanent place of “residence” next year.
If you propagate a flower by roots, you need to dig them out very carefully from the soil and free them from the ground. Give the roots a few hours to “rest” so that they wilt and are not so brittle. Each root should have 2-4 “eyes” so that the bush grows lush. It is necessary to place the roots in a hole buried 40 cm and flavored with humus (mullein). You need to be careful with the secreted juice of the dicentra, it is better to work with gloves, because the alkaloids contained in the rhizome can cause severe irritation of the skin, mucous membranes of the eyes and even the stomach!
Adding straw or reeds can help you get fluffy soil. You need to make an oblong hole, put grass there, press it down, and sprinkle it on top of the soil.
You should deal with excess water in the flowerbed immediately by digging ditches and filling in the drainage.
It is necessary to pay attention to the degree of dryness of the soil: during drought, water the plant generously, and the presence of a sufficient amount of mulch will prevent overheating.
When looking for a place for a dicentra, you can pay attention to its location near bushes, borders, and along paths.
You can try planting dicentra in splendid isolation in a pot at home or in a greenhouse - it looks more than impressive. In autumn, the most fleshy plants are dug up after the foliage has disappeared and planted in huge pots with soil from the garden, first mixed with sand from the river and leaves. Place in a cold room until mid-winter and water rarely. Then the room is changed to a warmer one and the amount of watering is increased. When the plant begins to grow, move it closer to light and warmth. The flowers will awaken in February and will delight you until April. It is necessary to remember about feeding. Fertilizer can be used for indoor plants. As soon as the dicentra plant fades, it is taken away basement. In the spring it is planted in a garden bed, and in the fall you can plant it again at home.
Growing the broken heart flower is worth all the trouble. Romantic appearance, tenderness and unpretentiousness can please even the most demanding professional gardener. Its ease of planting and care will help you fall in love with it at first sight. And the “company” nature of the flower will eliminate the need to search for a separate place where it will be planted and further grow.
