Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, this is one of my favourite plants. It is gorgeous almost all of the year,
from when it is just shooting out of the ground,
through flowering,
and (if given enough water) into the summer.
Then it starts to fade, and I cut it back to give the Japanese anemone (just realized you can see the tag in the flowering photo) next to it some room to fill out and flower.
I love the chartreuse and fuchsia colour combo so much that I started adding other plants in that colour scheme around it. My bed is rapidly shifting from blue and white. But it is a gorgeous (and bright) colour scheme and shows up beautifully from far away.
Who can see my new object d’art in the second to last photo?
I am a floral designer living in a tiny condo in downtown Toronto, Canada's largest city. But on the weekend, I am a gardener/frustrated architect trying to keep up with a 3/4 acre garden in Owen Sound, Ontario, a warm (to Canadians, Zone 5b, and a cold (to Americans, Zone 4b) garden.
Green Theatre 
Garden Walk Garden Talk said,
May 23, 2011 @ 2:58 PM
I just saw a huge planting of this today. It really made an impact.
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:38 PM
It just shines from every corner of the garden.
Tatyana said,
May 23, 2011 @ 4:42 PM
Yes, even the foliage itself is ery attractive!
I see a head in the background of that photo. Does it have a name?
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:38 PM
No name yet, I shall have to put my thinking cap on.
Laura @ PatioPatch said,
May 23, 2011 @ 6:13 PM
Chartreuse and fuchsia even sound good together and as a colour palette look even better. Like the way the stems of the Dicentra match the blooms
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:39 PM
I had to take a course on naming colours when I was studying fashion design many, many years ago. So I always tend to use the fancy names.
Curbstone Valley Farm said,
May 23, 2011 @ 7:22 PM
I really do love the splash of vibrant colored foliage with this variety. Just gorgeous!
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:40 PM
I love bleeding hearts period, but the foliage just makes it glow.
teza said,
May 23, 2011 @ 7:41 PM
D:
I have always loved the fabulously chartreuse colours of the garden. There is another new D. spectabilis this year, ‘Valentine’ which has much deeper red flowers and stems as well. Methinks the two would cavort to a most visually appealing result if given the opportunity! Go for it!
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:41 PM
Oooh, are you leading me a stray again, Teza.
Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens said,
May 23, 2011 @ 8:34 PM
I love this plant. I thought of it as pink and gold, which I don’t particularly like, but I love the idea of chartreuse and fuchsia much better.
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:42 PM
It is gorgeous. I never liked pink and gold, or red and gold together before I became a floral designer, but you try a lot of crazy combinations, and now I do.
Rebecca @ In The Garden said,
May 23, 2011 @ 11:39 PM
Love the new Object! ‘Goldheart’ is a beauty, and on my ‘to add’ list, I also prefer your wording for the colour combo, much more chic.
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:43 PM
Do get it Rebecca. very easy care, and a lovely early flowerer.
Donna said,
May 24, 2011 @ 8:12 PM
This has become one of my new favs in my garden…it makes quite a show even as a new planting.. love the new garden art…
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:43 PM
Glad you like my new ‘friend’.
lynne said,
May 25, 2011 @ 2:46 AM
I see a face peeping through the foliage 🙂 The colour scheme here is my favourite. Although I am discovering a leaning lately toward soft pinks and mauves which I always steered clear of. I guess our tastes do change – I wonder what exactly influences it.
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:44 PM
I am the opposite of you. I started with a lot of pinks and mauves, now I am leaning towards brighter colours. I was influenced by my floral design, not sure how others are.
Jean said,
May 25, 2011 @ 10:44 PM
Deborah, I saw this plant when I visited Carolyn’s Shade Gardens last month — and I agree; it’s gorgeous.
kilbournegrove said,
May 26, 2011 @ 1:45 PM
I love it, I think I might need a second.