Greetings, intrepid gardener. You wish to learn the ways of my kind, the *Lamprocapnos spectabilis*, or as you call me, the Bleeding Heart. From my perspective, these processes are simply different paths to ensuring my lineage continues. I will explain how you can assist in this endeavor through three primary methods.
This is the journey of a new generation, a test of patience for you and resilience for my offspring. After my heart-shaped blooms are pollinated by grateful bees, I develop slender, green pods. You must wait until these pods dry and turn a light brown on the stem; this is my signal that the seeds within are mature. Harvest them carefully. My seeds require a period of cold stratification to break their dormancy—they need to experience a simulated winter. Place them in a moist medium like sand or peat moss within a sealed bag and refrigerate for 4-6 weeks. After this chilling period, you may sow them in a fine, well-draining soil, barely covering them. Keep them moist and warm (around 60-65°F). With time and care, you will be rewarded with my delicate seedlings, which will grow into robust plants over a few seasons.
This is the quickest and most reliable method for you to create true copies of me. I am a perennial, and my life force is stored in my fleshy roots and rhizomes beneath the soil. The best time for this is in early spring, just as my new pink shoots are emerging from the earth, or in late autumn when I am retiring for my winter rest. Gently dig around and lift my entire root mass from the soil. Using a sharp, clean knife, you may divide my crown into sections. Each division must have at least 2-3 growing eyes (those pink buds) and a portion of my roots attached. It is a minor surgery, but a necessary one. Replant these divisions immediately at the same depth I was growing before, water them thoroughly, and keep the soil moist. I will quickly establish myself and reward your efficiency with a full display of my pendulous flowers in the coming season.
This method requires a more delicate touch but allows you to create new plants without disturbing my main root system. In late spring or early summer, after I have finished my main floral display, select a healthy, non-flowering stem. Using a sterile blade, take a 3-6 inch cutting just below a leaf node. Remove the lower leaves to expose the nodes, as this is where new roots will emerge. To encourage rooting, you may dip the cut end into a rooting hormone powder—this is like giving my cutting a helpful signal to grow roots. Plant the cutting in a pot filled with a light, soilless propagation mix. Enclose the pot in a plastic bag or place under a dome to maintain high humidity around the leaves, as I cannot draw water without roots yet. Place me in bright, indirect light and keep the medium slightly moist. In a few weeks, a gentle tug will tell you if I have anchored myself with new roots, ready to be potted on and eventually join the garden.
