Description
Dicentra cucullaria
CT DR P
Soil: Rich, Fertile, Well-drained
Moisture: Moist
Light: Part Sun to Shade
Plant Height: 0.5 to 1 foot
Plant Width: 0.5 to 1 foot
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Great for woodland and shade gardens and shady naturalized areas. Best grown with perennials that appear later as plants go dormant by summer. Not a good choice for borders due to early dormancy.
A graceful, early spring ephemeral with clusters of waxy, white, yellow-tipped flowers shaped like breeches/bloomers hung upside down. Flowers are borne in a single row drooping from leafless stalks that rise above the foliage. Gray-green leaves are deeply cut and fern-like. The flower structure and pollination mechanism are adapted for bumblebees, which the plant depends on for cross-pollination. Flowers produce capsules of seeds with nutrient-rich appendages that attract ants; ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the appendages and discard the seeds, thereby aiding in dispersal. Can spread to cover considerable areas. Tolerates rabbits, clay soil, and limestone. Intolerant of wet soils in winter.
1 quart pot
