Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

BLEEDING HEART VINE:

Eye-catchers in garden for Memorial Day

May 22, 2020

by Virginia Ruschhaupt/Victoria County Master Gardener

Edited by Charla Borchers Leon/Victoria County Master Gardener

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLA BORCHERS LEON

The Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae), a twining evergreen shrub that is supported on this fence, blooms white calyx and red corolla flowers in clusters of eight to 20 as shown here from the vine as early in the spring as late May or June through October.  Its vine can reach 15 feet in length, and if ignored, can spurt shoots across the ground and sprout in new areas.  It thrives in humidity, in moist, well-draining soil with direct morning and indirect afternoon sun.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER VIRGINIA RUSCHHAUPT

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY SHUTTERSTOCK.

Easily a focal point on a trellis or garden fence, the Bleeding Heart Vine is an eye-catcher in white balloon, heart-shaped five-lobed calyxes, with bright blood-red, five-lobed corollas, giving the impression of a bleeding heart as shown here.  This bloom description lends itself to its appropriate name for a Memorial Day plant in the garden.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY HENRY HARTMAN/CREATIVE IMAGES

A companion Clerodendrum plant that will add to a patriotic garden for Memorial Day and beyond is the Blue Butterfly Bush shown here.  The beautiful flower has four pale blue lobes and one violet blue lobe with white.  The flowers look like little blue butterflies and can bloom more or less beginning early summer through fall.  It should be watered thoroughly twice a week and fertilized twice a month during the growing season.  It prefers humidity an dis best grown in full sun to partial shade like the Bleeding Heart Vine.  With similar growing requirements, these two plants will do well in a patriotic setting.

Care tips for bleeding heart vine

Growing Locations:

• Grown in the ground pinched back to grow like a shrub; vine can climb on support structures. Will freeze back and return in spring.
• In hanging baskets or containers, move indoors when temps drop to 45 degrees. Keep away from direct heat sources, even direct sunlight in winter.

Light Requirements:

• Morning sun, afternoon shade or indirect light

Use of Fertilizer:

• Apply a good granular fertilizer with micro-nutrients, particularly calcium, three times a year - in spring, summer, and early fall.
• Apply liquid water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks in interim. This will lead to production of more vigorous flowers.

Propagation:

• Accomplished by seeds, layering, or cuttings.
• Cuttings, ideally 3-inch stem tips, take 4 to 6 weeks for new growth to occur. Success requires patience, as cuttings are likely to die back before showing signs of life.
  

Other information

Common Names for Clerodendrum thomsoniae

• Bleeding heart
• Bleeding glory bower
• Bag flower
• Beauty bush
• Glory bower.

Other Plants to be used for Patriotic Garden

• RED Penta, Scarlet Red Begonia, Red Pagoda Flower Clerodendrum
• WHITE Musical Notes, White Angelonia, White Nodding Clerodendrum
• BLUE Agapanthus, Blue Scabiosa, Blue Daze

If you are searching for an eye-catcher to add to your garden for a patriotic day like Memorial Day, you might want to consider Clerodendrum thomsoniae, Bleeding Heart Vine, aka Bleeding Glory Bower, Bag Flower, Beauty Bush and Glory Bower.

Each blossom consists of a white balloon-shaped five-lobed calyx, and bright blood-red five-lobed corolla, giving the impression of a bleeding heart. Blossoms, although only an inch in size, gather in cymes or clusters of eight to 20, creating a stunning effect.

The red corollas are short-lived, dropping to the ground, leaving behind the white calyxes, which later turn mauve and finally tan as they begin to dry.


Balance between abundant blooms, lush foliage

If conditions are right, this tropical evergreen shrubby vine grows 5 to 15 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Adequate sunlight, moisture, pruning and ample nutrients contribute to larger and more prolific blooms and re-bloom throughout the warm months. The glossy, deep green oval leaves are fuller and deeper-colored when they are in shade, making a contrasting background to offset the vibrant blooms. The key is finding a happy balance between enough sunlight for abundant blooms but sufficient shade for lush greenery.

Plant it, forget it?

This is not a plant-it-and-forget-it plant like you might find at abandoned homes. It takes some work, but your work will definitely be rewarded.

• Cold hardiness

Officially bleeding heart is cold hardy to USDA Zone 10, which means 30 to 40 degrees, so it will need some protection when grown in most of the Crossroads area. Nevertheless, our neighbors as far north as Zone 8-B grow bleeding heart vine with various levels of success. Planting on the south side of a fence will allow some protection from the north wind.

A mature, healthy plant with a well-developed root system, mulching and some protection from the elements can often withstand lower temperatures. Although it may freeze to the ground, it will often sprout from the roots in the spring. An immature plant may not be so lucky.

Growing in containers and moving indoors as temperatures start to drop to about 45 degrees may be an alternative. Bleeding heart vine prefers winter temperatures between 50 to 55 degrees. Keep away from direct heat sources, even direct sunlight in the winter. It might go dormant even indoors. Use an appropriate sized container, increasing with growth, minimum 3 gallons.

• Soil and water

Well-drained soil, rich in humus or organic material, is preferred. It is equally content with acidic, neutral, or alkaline soil.

Keep it moderately moist during spring to fall. As the plant grows, its need for water likewise intensifies during the warm months; however, water sparingly in the winter without letting it totally dry out.

• Mulching

Mulching throughout the year reduces the amount of water and fertilizer required, as well as providing some protection to the roots during a freeze.

• Pruning

Since this vigorous climber flowers on new growth, a hard pruning in the spring is beneficial. Additional pruning, after each flush of blooms begins to fade, encourages further blooming. Instead of heavy pruning, some gardeners prefer to use some of the older growth to twine the branches together, training into an arch shape to achieve a majestic appearance.

• Support

This vine is a twiner in need of support, but its absence of actual tendrils, coiling leafstalks, aerial rootlets, or other means of tenaciously gripping, makes it fairly easy to control on pergolas, arbors, trellises, and fences.

Family

Native to tropical West Africa, Clerodendrum thomsoniae is in the genus Clerodendrum, but the family of the Clerodendrums is unclear. They were originally in the verbenaceae (verbena) family, but were reassigned to the Lamiaceae (mint) family according to the International Plant Name Index. However, the USDA still places the Clerodendrums in the verbenaceae family.

In addition to confusion over family, there are eight species of beautiful flowers of the genus Dicentra with the same common name, Bleeding Heart. Dicentra is in the Papaveraceae (poppy) family – not even distant cousins to Clerodendrum thomsoniae.


Makes a great focal point in patriotic garden

Clerodendrum thomsoniae does have some relatives we all know and love, including Nodding Clerodendrum, Blue Butterfly Bush, and Musical Notes. These red, white, and blue Clerodendrums could play significant roles in a breath-taking patriotic garden. Bleeding Heart Vine, with its brilliant red and white blooms, would easily be the focal point, only secondary to our great ‘Old Glory.’

With lots of TLC, ideal growing conditions, and winter protection, Bleeding Heart Vine could bloom in your patriotic garden in the spring as early as Memorial Day in honor of those who lost their lives for our freedom.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.