Garden Features home pageWelcome to the garden features section of the garden and home directory. Every month there will be a 'plant of the month' highlighting a recommended plant, a check list of jobs to do in the garden during this season, and a project, article or other feature of particular interest. Don't forget to visit the garden directory while you're here! Plant of the month
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The
main appeal of this graceful hardy perennial lies in its long
season, trouble free nature, and its ability to perform happily
in a degree of shade. In fact it prefers light shade and a cool
spot, so is perfect for brightening up a gloomy corner. Originally
from northern China and Siberia, it reached our shores in 1810.
Dicentra spectabilis will grow in any kind of soil, preferring
moist but free draining soil, and reaches a height of around 50cm.
The lovely pendant flowers, which hang in dainty clusters from
curved stems, bloom from April until June and again from September
to October. It will die down completely over winter. You can increase
the plants by division, handling the brittle roots carefully,
in early spring or after the leaves have died down. As well as
Dicentra spectabilis, there are many other members of
the Dicentra group worth looking out for, including a lower growing
species D. formosa, a scrambling or climbing yellow flowered
species, D. scandens, and a more difficult to grow form
with blue grey leaves and white flowers, D cucullaria. Other
examples are D. 'Stuart Boothman', 30cm with grey blue
leaves and deep pink flowers, D. 'Langtrees', 30cm with
white flowers, D. 'Adrian Bloom', 'Bacchanal' and 'Luxuriant',
all with crimson red flowers. Also look out for the white form
of D. spectabilis, 'Alba' and a yellow leaved form 'Gold
Heart'.![[Go to website navigation]](../../images/skipnav.gif "Go to website navigation"){kind=small}