I first saw Dicentra ‘Fire Island’ in the Michigan garden of plantsman Hans Hansen, where it blew away the other dicentra clones. Dicentra ‘Fire Island’ is from the work of Japanese plant breeder, Akira Shiozaki, who created this hybrid of the Japanese native, Dicentra peregrina and the North American native, Dicentra eximia. Dicentra ‘Fire Island’ was selected for a longer flowering period, better vigor, and better branching than similar crosses. The 12″ tall x 20″ wide mound of very dissected blue-grey foliage, which resembles artemisia, is smothered in stalks topped with rosy red heart-shaped flowers from mid-spring through the summer. This is not a bleeding heart for shade…plant in full sun with cacti if you want it to thrive.
