One of my favorite flowers growing up was the Lamprocapnos spectabilis, commonly known as the Bleeding Heart. I am fascinated by its shape and the vibrancy of color. As I grew older, the Bleeding Heart took on a new shine that came with age and understanding.

My grandmother told me stories of how these lovely flowers were planted after a love was lost. Families planted them around private burial grounds. Women planted them after being scorned. She told me how on quiet and magical nights you could hear these delicate flowers cry on the wind.

The romance and heartbreak she conjured around the Bleeding Heart while telling me old wives tales endeared the flower to me even more. I am considerably older now than I was then and my grandmother has long since passed. Still, I keep those stories close to my own heart and appreciate the spirit behind them.

Mythology has always surrounded the Bleeding Heart. Tales have spread from Ancient Greece threading their way through Germany’s history and giving life to Japanese wisdom stories. Fables and tragedies surround the Bleeding Heart for ages of generations past.