Dicentra formosa Aurora
See how Dicentra Formosa Aurora and the pink form performs in our Aberdeen garden.
Dicentra Formosa Aurora, not just a Spring flowering plant
This is a great plant to use for ground cover. Don’t mistake it for the Chinese form, (Dicentra Spectabilis) which most of us know as Bleeding Heart.
In our garden, front and back we have the white form of Formosa and also the pink, I think I have a preference for the white, but I will also add a couple of pictures of the pink one.
The ferny blue/green leaves of Dicentra Formosa Aurora start to form in the month of March up here in Aberdeen. The flowering period is very long and normally is said to be from early May till late August. This Spring the first blooms opened in the second week of March and the plants were smothered with the creamy white flowers by mid April. To be honest, the plant generally is said to have creamy white blooms but to me they look pure white.
In our garden it grows to about 30cm/12 inches tall at the most.
I find the flowers of this Dicentra are at their very best in late Spring, on the other hand it could well be that, by the end of the Summer I have had my fill of them.
If white flowers are not for you then the pink form except for colour is identical.
Your Dicentra will grow in any reasonable free draining garden soil. The plant spreads quite rapidly and you may feel the need to keep it in check. Unlike the Chinese form Spectabilis where we so often find the foliage dying back completely, you may be happy to know that this is not the case with the form Formosa.
Height—39cm/12″
Hardiness—Fully hardy
Position—Full sun/part shade/will do well enough North facing
—Mail Order—
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Although the Magpie is a very handsome bird, it is normally seen as an unwanted threat to our smaller feathered friends which nest in our gardens. This year in mid May a pair of them decided to nest in the Abies Koreana which is in the border of our neighbours garden, directly next to us. Interesting to watch, however it soon became clear that the other birds weren’t feeling very chuffed.
These Magpies became regular visitors to our garden pond where they would feed on the tadpoles, not much of a feed, but they were doing it. Myra in her wisdom at one point decided they may enjoy a treat, and put out a couple of eggs for them, well, what do I know!
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The Summer bedding for the front garden was planted out on the 30th of May. Below is pictures of how the Begonias were looking in the greenhouse a few days beforehand.
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Now, don’t you laugh but this ornamental floorie gardener is growing some stuff that can be eaten.
Two apple trees on dwarf rooting stock, Red Devil and Scrumptious. One in the main border where the Rowan Cashmiriana used to be, and the other one in the round garden.
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Not one, not two, not three but four tomato plants. Two Gardeners delight, one Elegance and one Lizzano.
Cucumber starting to form, just so happens to have a yellow flower stuck on the end. This one is a midi named Quatro.
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Aubergine Scorpio, I ask you, just how exotic is that. Not something normally on our menu, have to check out some recipes.
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Red pepper, Californian Wonder.
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Salad leaves, set out in the clothes drying area in ten terracotta pots, I also have onions growing along with some flowers in the back garden. To tell the truth, I am a lot more excited about this than I am letting on.
If you happen to leave a comment I will be sure to visit your site and do the same
I am a lover of nature and I kept scrolling up and down this page like I couldn’t get enough of seeing those plants. The magpies are awesome!!!
Hi Andrea, I will keep updating on the progress of the edibles.
Hi Alistair, I am also excited to see your very healthy-looking vegies, as we are used to see your ornamentals. I am sure you will be reaping lots of fruits from your labor there. They look so healthy. Of course raising vegies is not much different from ornamentals, so we can easily produce them all.
I think the veg growing may be addictive Jennifer, first Cucumber ready and we shall have it with salad this evening.
Hi Alistair, Last year was my first attempt at growing veggies. As you probably know, it was not a great success, with the bunnies being to only creatures well-fed, but what little produce I was able to harvest was a pure delight! I have a feeling you will find growing food is just as addictive.
The Dicentra Formosa white and pink are very pretty. I added one last year and another this spring. I love the ferny foliage even more than the flowers.
Hi Catmint, its all alien to me, a long way off boasting as yet. I will always really be the ornamental gardener.
Hi Alastair, i love your magpie, I would have thought they would feel like cannibals eating eggs. (but what do i know too?) And I am very impressed at your food growing. I feel us ornamental gardeners are getting thin on the ground – I grow herbs, but can’t boast the range of veggies you can. Not to mention apples! cheers, cm
Thanks James, very honoured I am.
I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger award. Check it out in my latest post. You have a great day!
Hi Frances, will see how I get on with the edibles, cucumber almost ready. I suppose I should set aside an area especially for veg, not so sure as the garden is now so very mature. Thanks for telling me about the loading of my site, there was a couple of issues but I think it may have been to do with the host.
Hi Jane, probably looks a lot with being in individual pots.
OMG! You have a greenhouse (s) to die for. Are you growing all those plants for your garden or the whole of Aberdeen (or Scotland!)….sigh…
Alistair that’s a beautiful plant,
it’s difficult when there are birds that prey on other smaller birds though your garden has plenty of cover for the small birds to hide in, here it is the gulls and hoodie crow not as attractive as your magpie,
I love all your food plants the apples look lovely in bloom, I like the idea of different leaves in pots hopefully keeps them further away from the slugs,
I like the new layout too, it loaded fine for me no noticeable problem, green fingers and green blog, Frances
You possibly have the form named spectabilis james,
Always glad to see you Vesna, keep searching for formosa.
What a beautiful looking plant that is so similar to the bleeding heart plant. I got another bleeding heart vine – a different version from what you shared here.
Must be lovely to see all the immaculate white blooms arching downwards.
Hi Alistair, I just love to pop up to your web site and see what’s new. The garden is beautiful. I love Dicentra; have the pink and white ones in my garden. I have been looking for D. formosa for a long time but still cannot be bought in Croatia. Stay well in your Bonnie Scotland.
Some plants just don’t know where they would be well off.
I wish dicentra formosa would settle in my garden. I’ve tried the pink and it never appeared again.
I don’t think I’ve seen a Magpie here for over 10 years – we’ve got plenty of hawks instead.
If I had the heart to dig up part of the garden for veg I would do it Carolyn.
As you know from my post… magpies are villains and heart-breakers. But yes, they are God’s creatures. What to do to keep them in balance with nature is the lingering question that I don;t have an answer to. But I am excited for you and your venture into growing veggies… keep us updated on their progress!
Its a learning thing with me also Holley.
The Begonias are all the same variety Alberto, not very imaginative.
Hi Alistair! I told you already how much I like that dicentra of yours, I prefer the white one too and will certainly look for it around. I bet I should keep it almost in full shade in my climate though.
I kind of like magpies too, they are cheeky!
You grow a lot of begonias, don’t you? Salads in pots is clever and quite funny too but it should be a kind of a sadness when you’ll have to harvest!
The bird is so pretty! And I like the white flowers better than the pink ones, too. I love your use of these as a ground cover. How wonderful to be growing some things to eat. I, too, grow just a few veggies – and feel like I really don’t know what I’m doing. But it’s fun learning! 🙂
Yes Linnie, Cucumbers, tomatoes etc don’t grow outdoors in Aberdeen. The x and r on my blog do look very similar.
Laura, fortunately one night we had absolutely torrential wind and rain which washed out the magpies nest.
You have been busy Alistair! What a productive greenhouse. Will you keep the cucumbers etc inside for the summer? Sometimes they do get those flowers stuck on the end. I see Kininvie read your word “exotic” as “erotic” which I did at first as well –it was funny to think of an eggplant that way. The Dicentra formosa endures all summer here too, so pretty.
The quantities of bedding plants you grow are reaching the realms of retail. Amazing. Planted like that, Dicentra are the perfect groundcover and how happy they look in your rich, damp soil. p.s. did the egg treats keep the magpies off the tadpoles?
Always plenty of slugs here as well, hope the weather changes soon.
Alistair, our temperatures have been rather cool and rainy as well — in fact, we are dealing with slugs. (Fortunately, it’s not so hard!) We should already have some ripe ones, if only the sun would come out and it would stop raining!
Hi Christine I am looking forward to the results of my veg but it is highly unlikely that I will be giving advice.
I wont half be showing off if they bear fruits Diana.
Cheers guys, magpies were photographed from indoors, through the kitchen window.
Cathy and Steve, I will keep updating how the tomatoes are coming on, very low temperatures here at the moment, about 52f this past ten days.
Alistair, the dicentra is lovely, reminiscent of the dicentra eximia we have here in pink, which also comes as an alba. That little bird is adorable, and what a fabukous, crisp, photograph!
But I LOVE your “yummies” best of all. We planted four tomatoes all in pots and they are full of fruit, none yet ripe. This year’s plants are doing much better than years past. We also planted four eggplant (aubergine). It’s one of our favorite vegetables. We had good luck with it last year as well. We also have good luck with yellow squash and planted more of that as well.
New to us this year are tomatillos. I hope they do well. Our red leaf lettuce has been spectacular – we had salad with grilled chicken for dinner tonight!
Nice to see some updates in your garden! The Dicentra is lovely and the photos of the magpies are superb!
I now feel very sheepish about my two and a half tomato plants, which volunteered in our compost.
I like the new face of your blog!
I wish you much joy with your new veggie plants! I have a feeling that as with all gardening related things your veggies will flourish and soon I will be turning to your blog for veggie growing tips & ideas!
Glad to hear everything is coming on fine in Toronto Astrid.
Hello Alistair
I had never seen the Dicentra formosa ‘Aurora” – I really like it and will keep my eye out for it here. Your greenhouse is amazing!!! My little cold frame contained ornamental kale, Scabiosa, Sweet William and sweet peas. After being planted, they are coming along just fine now since we’ve been getting adequate rain. As far as all those veggies go – Yum!! Set an extra place at the table! I’m headed right over!!
Astrid
Hi Bernieh. to be quite honest feeding magpies is just silly. I’ll have you know, I get very easily excited, just you ask—-well on second thoughts, don’t bother.
Tanks Martin, you probably grew yours from seed, I bought teeny plants.
Yes Kininvie I know about the magpies, even she who knows better than everyone is aware, but apparently all living creatures have their place in the world. Never again in (my) our garden. Feed the squirrels, yes darling, in a moment. Oh, I see what you mean about the Aubergine, it does have a very smoooth skin. Thanks for the report on my website, I think it was a temporary problem yesterday.
I wont tell the misses that you have been gallivanting again Greggo.
Not from seed Debs, I bought young plants from the garden centre. I know, feeding the magpies is just wrong, try telling someone else in this household.
Those white Dicentras are simply lovely. What a fabulous groundcover they make. I would never have thought Magpies would enjoy an egg for lunch! You learn something new every day. Your vegies are doing so well. Excited about lettuce, hum???
I am so impressed with all that you have growing in your greenhouse! Did you plant all of those from seed? I also think it is so funny that you fed the magpie an egg! Does this tell me that magpies steal eggs from other birds’ nests? Nevertheless, the magpie is a lovely bird.
Upon gallivanting around my favorite bloggers recent posts I was chuffed by the class of the information and images.
Magpies are vermin and need to be shot. Cunning and clever birds, they wait until songbird fledglings are big enough to make a tasty snack and then raid nest after nest. You really don’t want to encourage them….
Also, Alistair, I think you must be the first to find an aubergine flower erotic? Each to their own though! PS New design much improved, and no trouble loading with me…
Hi Alistair, another great post, your begonias look amazing, what a labour of love! And I’m jealous of your tomato plants, which are so much further on than mine!
I think this plant enjoys the lack of Summer heat Carolyn. The magpie has a loud chattering call.
Hi b-a-g, yes I know, yet I still expect people to take me seriously. I will let you know how I get on with the Aubergines.
Hi Crystal, at times I am too ambitious and plant out the bedding too soon, seems to be ok though.
I grow Dicentra formosa too, but I’ve only had it for a few years, so it hasn’t spread out much yet.
You’ve got one more tomato plant than me. I started with six, but the snails were hungry. I’m growing Gardeners Delight too.
My summer bedding is still in the greenhouse, good job really, with today’s autumnal weather.
Alastair – So much for the guy who said he’d never grow vegetables …
Growing Aubergines in Aberdeen does sound ambitious – they make a delicious snack, just sliced thickly and fried in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I love this wild-bleeding heart but cannot get it to grow well here despite numerous tries–I had a good laugh when you talked about having to control it. All your vegetables look beautiful—as pretty as any perennial. I wish we had magpies here. Do they have a musical call like other magpie species?
Thanks for letting me know this Donna.
My blog has been having problems from the webhost and then a bit with WP. I am not finding this new blog format any different with speed than your original blog format.
Thanks Donna, all my experimenting with new look has ended up being a nuisance. At the moment it is so very slow to open and not opening at all for some of my visitors.
Another experimental new look? I like it. As for this plant I have not had much luck…I think I either have it in too dry or too wet conditions. I love how wonderful this plant is growing and will have to give it a try again…special siting will have to be found.
We have a similar bird that others don’t like having around because they raid nests for eggs. It is the Grackle. Your Magpie is pretty.
I love your food growing…fabulous and so lush and healthy in the greenhouse. What a green house….you have so much growing….veg gardening is a bit addictive I have found, but what a wonderful addiction..you eat the fruit of you labors!
Thanks for the information Donna, I wont rush to change things at the moment, but I will keep my eye on it.
Alistair, I did check on your load times. It is quite slow at 54.83 seconds. I have an app on my computer for this. It loaded a bit faster with my cable, than without, but was still a bit slow. The drawback was images took 88 percent of the total page load time. I am not sure why it is slow though as your images are only 2.1 MB of the page load. Another generator listed it at 32.29 seconds. Maybe you should contact WP and see what they have to say. It maybe just their server where your blog is stored. They could be doing maintenance at this time too. I have had that happen and they told me my blog was moved to another server, which speeded up the load time.
Thanks Lucy, I was very impressed with your feet.
Love to see magpies and your photos are great. As is your greenhouse. What a place!