Pacific bleeding heart, Dicentra formosa, looks delicate with is pendulant, heart-shaped flowers and fern-like foliage, but looks are deceiving. It is a tough little perennial, blooming in spring through early summer and often re-blooming in the fall.

Pacific bleeding heart is native to moist woodlands from sea level to sub-alpine elevations, from Southern British Columbia to Central California. It prefers part-shade to shade and humus-rich soil, where will happily spread by rhizomes to form colonies, growing 12-18" tall and several feet wide. Both hummingbirds and bees visit its flowers, which range in color from the palest pink to dark purplish-pink.

Dicentra formosa grows in the shady area of the Buck Lake Native Plant Garden, at the southern end of the garden, and will happily occupy a similar place in your garden.