Need Help With Bleeding Heart bulb

[Shade Gardener]

Need help with Bleeding heart root.* I recently bought a bleeding heart bulb/root.* I have no idea which end is up..;-)* I usually just buy the plant, but thought this wpuld be better as it is quite large and healthy.* It has a flat end and then six legs (white ) coming off it pointing in the opposite direction.* It looks like a spider.* Do I plant flat or leg side up?* Thank you in advance for any help.* I could not find a picture of the bulb/root online anywhere.

Thanks again.

[Newt]

Hi Shade Gardener,

I suspect the white 'legs' are the roots and should be planted down.* Can you post a picture?

Newt

[Shade Gardener]

Thank you so much for your help.** My confusion* lies in that the roots and sprouts both seem to be coming from the white legs.

I will post 2 picts.

[Shade Gardener]

In this picture you can see the roots in the middle and the sprouts on the left. Both seem to be going in the same direction.* Thank you again for all your help.

*I am looking forward to planting this and replacing the* yr old one I lost last year.* An animal ate it down to the roots several times last year in the spring.* This year I am armed with thecayenne pepper which did such a good job protecting my veggie garden last summer.

:D
Thanks again

[Newt]

These are fleshy roots often called rhizomes.* The first picture is better for me to use to explain.* You should plant it just the way you have it sitting in the picture.* The shoots will come out of the ends of the large fleshy roots aka rhizomes.* Those small rootlets will grow downwards.* Here's a sketch.* Look at 'A'.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20390...ges/fig103.png

Here's a couple more sketches.
http://www.swsbm.com/MKImages/Dicentra_canadensis.gif
http://www.swsbm.com/MKImages/Dicentra_canadensis.jpg

Does that make sense to you?* Plant with the tips about 2" below the surface of the soil.* This should help.
http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index...=Custom&ID=103

Newt

[Shade Gardener]

That makes perfect sense.* Thank you for taking the time and effort to find the sketches for me to answer this newbie question.

Have a great week.:)

[Newt]

You are so very welcome!* Do keep in mind that most varieties of Dicentra aka Bleeding heart will go dormant in summer.* So mark the spot where you plant.*

Newt

[Allison1888]

Keep us posted on how this grows!