No blooms on Dutchman's Breeches

19 years ago

Some years back, I painstakingly transplanted Dutchman's Breeches to my small woodland area. Each year, I get tons of leaves, but very few flowers. What's the problem? Too shady, too bright, missing something in the soil? Anybody got ideas?

Thanks!

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Comments (9)

prhart
19 years ago
It's my understanding that lime added to the soil will promote flowers--without it you will get only foliage. The article did not specify a pH level to accomplish this. My soil tests very acidic, about 4.5 so I added a generous amount of powdered lime and it seemed to work.
Elaine_NJ6
19 years ago
I put these in a few places around the property maybe 5 or 6 years ago--all shady, all alkaline soil. One clump gets bigger every year and always blooms. The others gradually diminish and bloomed only the first year after planting or maybe once since. I don't know the answer.
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well, i was wondering if you had any plants for would be willing to trade, or do you just have seeds at this time?. i am not having much luck with seeds this year, as the weather is erratic and i live in a log cabin and heat with wood, not leading to the most constant environment. i am interested it the dragon plant, but unless it would survive in an office with no windows, only artificial light, it would freeze to death at my house during the winter. if you only want mint and monarda, i'd be more likely to trade for seeds, but the monkshood and dutchman's breeches would have to be a "special" plant trade. email me and let me know what you think :)
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If you are still trading, check out my list and see of you are interested in anything...I have tons of maypops (passiflora incarnata) ready to go. Betsy
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Not that this helps...but we have dutchman's britches growing in our pastureland, as well as white trilliums, Mayapples, dogtooth violets, something we called Sweet William (which appears to actually be mountain phlox?), and the most adorable bluebells. I'm attempting to cultivate some triliums (from purchased starts) in a shady spot in one of my gardens. So far I've been successful - they sprouted this spring, without blooming. I'm hopeful for some unique blooms next year. Eventually I hope to also cultivate the bluebells and dutchman's britches in appropriate spots as well. Here's hoping. -jaz. Gr
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They are cute! I saw these in wv several times, but they are ephemeral. We have several dicentra here in Oregon, and some are uncommon. One that does very well is dicentra formosa oregana. These are very un-dicentra: they bloom from April through September and can take full sun. They turn a lovely blue in hot sun and their flowers change from cream to pink as they age. I have mine in part shade because they seem to do better in my yard there... But this seed was collected from a full sun specimen.
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fairy_toadmother
19 years ago
how strange. do oak forests usually have acidic soil? they grow in oak forests here. OR, we have alkaline soil anyway! my yard is definitely alkaline. they seem to be yellowish when they bloom, yet in the woods they have a pink tinge.
waplummer
19 years ago
It might be a lack of phosphorous.
PrairieClover
19 years ago
Shapiro,
Can I ask what they looked like when they came up? I tried growing some from seed last year and after no success I threw the seeds into the garden and hoped for the best. Now I see something is coming up in the spot where I think I threw the seeds, I'm wondering if this could be them? Mine look sort of like a bleeding heart leave except less pointed.
Elaine_NJ6
18 years ago
The foliage certainly looks like bleeding heart.
MarcR
18 years ago
fairy_toadmother,

The Dicentra we have in OR is D. formosa. 'Dutchman's Breeches' is D. cucullaria. Most Dicentra like acid soil; but D. cucullaria is from the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, where there is a tendency to clay soils which tend to be sweeter than forest soils.
reddirt
18 years ago
as i was walking along a bike path here in clay soil central ohio, i saw a huge stand of dutchman's breeches about 3 weeks ago. it was in a sunny, high canopy forest. i have some pitiful specimens of my own, so it was a great treat for me to see them so successful and thriving!
MarcR
18 years ago
Is anyone interested in exchanging plants (or seed) of D. cucullaria for D. formosa? [Pacific Northwest Bleeding Heart for Dutchman's Breeches]

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No blooms on Dutchman's Breeches

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prhart

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