Fortunately, bleeding hearts breaking dormancy lack subtlety. The regular pink bleeding hearts start out as a very pink plant.
White bleeding hearts lack that red pigment, leaving them a blanched-celery green. Their shape is reminiscent of celery plants, in miniature form.
As they leaf out, white bleeding hearts have pale green stems and bright, grassy green leaves, while pink bleeding hearts retain pink in their stems and the undersides of their leaves. The leaves develop a rather bluish cast on top.
Both white and pink bleeding hearts are lovely, and do well in deep shade. As they mature by May, the leaves of both varieties will be a very similar grassy green, but the stems will still be distinct.
These white bleeding hearts have lived for years between a bed of ostrich ferns and the north side of the house, and get no direct sun.
Propagation
Bleeding heart seed is fairly large and easy to control. When the flowers fade and start falling off the stem, watch the little green-bean-like pods that form. When they start getting lumpy, clip the stalk back into the main mass of leaves, unless you are hoping for seedlings.
The plants will gently toss seeds around when the pods split open, but they are modest in number and don’t go far. The resulting seedlings are very easy to pull.
If you are planning on having more plants to move, leave the seedlings that are near parent plants for their first year. The following year, you will be able to dig them easily enough with a trowel and move them to their new homes.