Dicentra formosa

Pacific Bleeding Heart is a native woodland perennial with finely dissected, fern-like foliage and dangling pink to rose heart-shaped flowers from April into summer. Unlike its eastern cousin, this species often reblooms if conditions stay moist, making it one of the longest-performing native perennials for shade gardens.

Give it partial to full shade in moist, humus-rich soil. It spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding to form attractive colonies under trees and along shaded borders. Cut back tattered foliage in late summer if it goes dormant during dry spells. Pair it with sword fern and native sedges for a low-maintenance understory.