i have ferns interspersed with my bleeding hearts and they do just fine.

Thanks for the suggestion. My only hesitation with ferns is that most of the nursery people around here tell me that they get kind of ratty looking in the middle of our hot, humid summers.

Totally Confused

how about hosta or astillbe, both shade lovers. I also have stella d'or lillies in partial shade.

I have hosta and stella d'oro in this bed as well. My hostas get quite large, but not large enough to fill the hole left by the bleeding hearts. I have never grown astilbe. I'm hoping to try it in another shady area. Maybe if it works there I will try it with the bleeding heart.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Totally Confused

Besides hostas (my Sum & Substance gets easily 5' wide), I have toad lilies, turtlehead, blue lobelia, and a few tall sedum around (and under) my bleeding hearts. You might also try sweet or chocolate joe pye and meadow rue (or a bird bath and mulch).

I have hosta's, lady ferns and lungwort growing around my white bleeding hearts and around the pink hearts I have Jacob's ladder, siberian iris, ravenswing, violets and hosta.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I think I'm going to divide them in half in the fall and add some of the suggested plants next spring. They are just too big the way they are. I added some toad lilies and columbines to the bed this year, but I have to keep cutting the bleeding hearts back to keep them from smothering their neighbors. If they weren't so pretty when they bloomed I'd dig them up and be done with them.

Totally Confused

I like the pots idea. I'm going to try planting hydrangeas and bleeding heart together so that when the hydrangea really fills in, it covers the ratty-looking bleeding heart and the empty space it leaves when cut down. I'll let you know how it turns out.