I used to trim my bleeding heart vine down to the ground every year and it would come back better than ever! I had the purple/red mix as opposed to the white/red. Go ahead and cut it back...I've seen them also recover in the nursery business this way! Try trimming not right to the ground, but maybe about 2 feet.

Mine had very thick "trunks" that were deader than a doornail come spring. Any new growth came back from the ground, so feel free to hack it back once it gets frozed. I've two patches, one in the shade of the maple tree, one in full sun, the one in full sun really struggled to come back come spring. Came up, wilted and died. Thought it was dead and gone, but danged if didn't sprout back up again starting about 6 weeks ago, and now the patch is wider-spread than ever. No flowers yet, so it's a waiting game to see what comes first: Flowers or Freeze... One patch is in front of a chain link fence and it just kinda winds itself through it. The other is in front of a reed fence in front of chain link, it wound itself through the reed fence there, and wouldn't you know it, all the flowers were in my neighbors yard! So I put a 3-step "ladder" trellis in the middle of it to give it support on my side of the fence and now there's more flower on my side now. It definitely likes moral support from horizontal surfaces, so I can see it not wanting to climb a tree trunk. I really like the plant and have the space, so started some cuttings that I'll plant in the spring. Such pretty, complex flowers! From Garden From Garden

when trying to find info on propagation ... its best to convert to the latin name .... then google the latin name plus the word 'propagation' ... especially.. in this case.. when your common name uses two words that define a non-vine plant ... see link .. once you review a few of those... we could answer more specific issues ... if anyone has actual experience doing such ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

Are you talking about a Clerodendron Tompsoniae? I have one that I prune into a shrub like shape. The branches are still soft but it's fairly round and is growing in a large pot. Karyn