- 1). Examine the location in which you found the plant. If it's in a shady location, or a location with partial shade and moist soil, the plant could be bleeding heart.
- 2). Consider the time of year. Bleeding heart comes up in the spring, flowers and dies back by midsummer.
- 3). Examine the leaves and size of the plant. Bleeding heart grows up to 30 inches tall with a 30-inch wide spread. The leaves are green and fern-like with three segments each.
- 4). Examine the flowers. Bleeding heart has unique hanging flowers that look like hearts. They are usually pink or red, but white varieties also exist. Seven to 15 flowers bloom on each stem. The ends of the flowers have a dangling white tip.
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