Bleeding heart vine in Spain: shelter a tropical climber

The plant sold as bleeding heart vine is Clerodendrum thomsoniae, a twining evergreen climber from tropical West Africa in the mint family. It is grown for its summer flowers, each a puffy white lantern from which a vivid crimson corolla and long stamens protrude. On the Costa Blanca it is a plant for a warm, sheltered corner or a bright indoor room, not an open garden.

Not the same as the other bleeding heart

There is a well-known hardy perennial also called bleeding heart, with arching stems of pink and white heart-shaped flowers in spring and ferny foliage. That is Lamprocapnos spectabilis, in the poppy family, long known as Dicentra spectabilis. It is a temperate woodland plant that prefers cool moist shade and is a poor bet in the hot dry south east. The two plants share nothing but a common name.

Climate and siting

The vine is frost-tender and unhappy much below about 10 degrees. In a reliably frost-free coastal garden it can be grown outdoors against a warm wall with overhead shelter, in bright light with shade from the fiercest afternoon sun. Elsewhere, grow it in a large pot that spends summer outside and winter in a frost-free porch, conservatory or bright room. Cold or drought makes it drop its leaves; recovery depends on how far the stems and roots were damaged.

Soil, water and feeding

Use a rich, free-draining, loam-based compost. Water freely through spring and summer while it is growing and flowering, and much less in winter, keeping it just moist. Feed every couple of weeks in the growing season with a balanced liquid feed, easing off in autumn to let the plant rest.

Support and pruning

Give it wires, a trellis or an obelisk to twine through. It flowers on new growth, so prune after the main flush or in late winter, shortening stems to keep it within its space and cutting out weak growth. It suckers from the roots, especially in the ground; pull or dig out unwanted suckers, which also serve as ready-rooted propagation material.

Pests under cover

Indoors and under glass it attracts whitefly, mealybug and red spider mite. Check the leaf undersides regularly, keep the air moving and move the plant back outside once nights are reliably warm.

Sources and review

This guide was reviewed in September 2026 using the Kew Plants of the World Online record for Clerodendrum thomsoniae, the equivalent record for Lamprocapnos spectabilis and the Royal Horticultural Society plant profile for minimum temperatures and cultivation.