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It’s your last chance to get Love Lies Bleeding now for 25% off (sale ends 31 July)! And don’t forget that Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw are always FREE…
Love Lies Bleeding: a novel about delusion, obsession, and blood…
Happy Reading,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Love Lies Bleeding‘s readers know that main character Mara is both a vampire and a botanist. Trained when she was still human, she continues to study plants and have a garden. This post is fourteenth in a series exploring Mara’s plants. Are you interested in botany, gardening, or plant lore? So are some vampires…
Please note: Medicinal uses are given for informational purposes only. Always consult a medical professional before diagnosing or treating yourself or anyone else.
Caution: All parts are poisonous to humans and animals if ingested. Coming into contact with the plant can also be irritating to skin.
Botanical Name: Laprocapnos spectabilis (AKA Dicentra spectabilis)
Common Names: Bleeding Heart, Lady’s Locket, Lady’s Heart, Lyre Flower, Fallopian Buds, heart flower, lady-in-a-bath
History: Native to northeastern Asia. There is a Japanese legend that claims the flower sprang from the blood of a brokenhearted suitor (read it here). Another version has the princess’s heart bleeding eternally for her lost suitor. After being introduced in the UK, it became so popular that it was once called “the finest hardy plant of the 19th century.” And then it fell out of fashion for being too common (fickle Victorians). Bleeding Heart is also used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve circulation, treat bruises and sores, and as a painkiller.
Victorian Language of Flowers Meaning: Compassion
Cultivation: Zones 2 to 9. Perennial. Prefers shade or part shade (you can get away with full sun if you live in a northern area). Bleeding Heart likes rich, consistently moist, well-draining soil, and appreciates organic mulch to help with moisture retention and nutrients. Plant in spring or fall. Bleeding Heart usually goes dormant in summer– you can cut back the stems once the leaves have turned yellow or brown. Continue to water/keep moist while dormant. To get better blooms, work slow-release fertilizer and compost into the soil around the plant when it first emerges in spring. Grows to about 1 metre (3 ft) tall and 30 cm to 1 metre (1 to 3 ft) wide. Propagate by division every few years. Bleeding Heart is deer and rabbit resistant.
Uses:
Houseplant (not recommended if you have pets or young children): If you can recreate the preferred growing conditions for Bleeding Heart, it will grow as a houseplant. Ideally it prefers a room temperature of about 18C (65F).
Cut Flower: Flowering stems will last up to 2 weeks in a vase.
Crafts: The flowers are ideal for pressing. From Almanac.com: Pick flowers early in the morning after the dew has dried. Put the flowers between paper and place between the pages of a thick book. After a couple of weeks you’ll have perfect flat, papery hearts.
Mara’s Uses: With its red shoots, heart-like flowers, and “bleeding” name, Bleeding Heart would definitely be on Mara’s list of plants to try for her herbal blood substitute.
Further Reading:
Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Bleeding Hearts Flower Care- How to Grow Bleeding Heart
How to Grow and Care for Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart: An Old-Fashioned Charmer
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Read An E-Book Week ends tonight and it’s your last chance to stock up. My novel Love Lies Bleeding is only $1.97 (and while you’re there don’t forget to pick up your free copies of Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw)…
Love Lies Bleeding: a novel about delusion, obsession, and blood.
Happy reading!
Aspasía S. Bissas
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Is anyone else feeling stuck lately? It could be winter blahs. It could be two years of mostly staying home and not being able to go anywhere fun or interesting. Or maybe it’s just something everyone goes through once in a while. Whatever the reason, if you’re feeling meh, you can bring back a bit of the spark by injecting some creativity into your day. Give these a try…
Put on some music and, as the saying goes, dance like no one’s watching. It’ll get you energized and maybe even spark some inspiration.
Skip the recipes and see what you can put together with what you already have on hand. If cooking’s not your thing, order in and get something you’ve never tried.
Break out a creative or problem-solving game– basically anything that involves active participation instead of just following instructions. RPGs (like D&D) are perfect for this, although you generally need at least three people and a few hours to get the best experience.
Blank paper + the writing tool of your choice. Don’t overthink it– just scribble away.
Go for a walk or just wander around the house until you find something that catches your eye. Try to get as many different photos of one object as you can.
Let your mind wander and see where it goes.
Rearrange the furniture in a room, or plan out your dream house. See the potential in your space.
If there’s something around the house you’ve been thinking of getting rid of, see if you can figure out how to improve it or find a new way to use it.
Pick (or have someone pick for you) two random things (e.g., a bear and a pair of socks). List everything you can think of that the two have in common (like, a bear and socks are both fuzzy).
Pick a song and make up new lyrics for it. You can write them down if you want, but it’s more fun to make them up as you go. The lyrics don’t have to be deep– sing about what you’re making for dinner or about your pets or how you’re feeling at that moment.
At its heart creativity is all about seeing things in a new way. Have fun and don’t overthink or self-edit. It probably won’t solve your problems, but being creative can set you free.
What do you do to stop feeling stuck? Share in the comments…
Books take you to new worlds. Download one of mine now:
Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Aspasía S. Bissas 