An extraordinary selection, ‘King of Hearts’ was produced by the late Marion Ownbey of Pullman, Washington, from crosses involving three parents. The native eastern bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia, Zones 3–8) donates the extended bloom period, while the rounded, full-bodied, humpbacked lobes of the heart come from the Japanese species Dicentra peregrina (Zones 5–7). The rich color and tight flower clusters come from the western native Dicentra formosa (Zones 4–8).