Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Dicentra formosa f. alba

A spreading, clump-forming perennial about 45cm tall, with finely-cut, mid-green leaves, grey-green beneath, and white flowers to 2.5cm long, carried in sprays, in late spring and early summer

Synonyms

Dicentra formosa alba

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
5 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Clay

Chalk

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Neutral, Alkaline

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or East–facing or North–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Papaveraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Dicentra can be rhizomatous or tuberous perennials with attractively divided leaves and pendent, heart-shaped flowers, usually in arching panicles or racemes
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Plant in moist, fertile, humus-rich soil. Best in neutral or slightly alkaline soil, in part shade in a sheltered position

Propagation

Propagate by division or root cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Flower borders and beds
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Generally not required

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.