Glory Bower

May 2010

I received a bleeding heart plant for Mother's Day. How do I take care of it? Does it grow in the shade or sun? It is in a hanging basket. Any information you can give me will be appreciated.

There are two plants that are commonly called bleeding heart. Dicentra is a wonderful old-fashioned perennial that has pink or white flowers shaped like a heart with a little white teardrop hanging down. They have about finished blooming and would probably not be sold in a hanging basket, but are a great light shade perennial. The other bleeding heart (which I believe is your plant) is Clerodendron thomsoniae also called Glory bower. It has white sepals which surround bright red flowers. It is another old-fashioned lant that does well in full sun to partial shade and should bloom all summer. It is not winter hardy, so be prepared to bring it indoors for the winter. Fertilize it monthly, water when dry and it should do nicely. It is semi-vining thus it does well in a hanging basket or trained to a small trellis.

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