Late Season Bloom, Moisture Tolerant Turtlehead
Add some late season color to your garden with the versatile turtlehead perennial plant.
A close look at the flowers will reveal the source of its common name. The clasping petals look like a turtle’s head. The botanical name Chelone comes from Greek mythology. A nymph named Chelone insulted the gods and was turned into a turtle.
These North American natives typically grow along stream banks, in bogs or moist woods. You can find cultivated varieties such as Hot Lips and Black Ace at some garden centers and nurseries. Use turtleheads in rain gardens, moist areas and for added late summer through fall color.
The deer tend to leave these alone, but the butterflies find them attractive.
Plants grow in full sun to shade, moist soil and are hardy in zones 3 to 8 or 9, depending on the variety. Plants growing in shade may need some staking or strong upright neighboring plants for support.
A bit more information: Hot Lips turtlehead has rosey-pink flowers and dark green leaves that have a bronze tinge as they emerge in spring. Black Ace has a blackish tint to the leaves and white flowers.
Related

Audio

Audio
Categories
Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars
Feb. 14-16, 2025
NARI Milwaukee Spring Home Improvement Show
West Allis, WI
Feb. 19, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants
Register here
Feb. 26, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Create a Beautiful Shade Garden
Register here
Feb. 27, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
How to Select Rain Garden Plants
Register here
March 12, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Grow Pollinator-friendly Spring and Summer Flowering Bulbs
Register here
March 19, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Register here
March 22, 23, 29, 30, 2025
REALTORS Home & Garden Show
West Allis, WI
March 26, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Succession Planting & Crop Rotation
Register here
March 27, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Rain Garden Q & A
Register here
April 2, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Container Gardens for Sun & Shade
Register here
April 10, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Reinvigorate Your Rain Garden
Register here
May 7, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Vertical Gardening
Register here
May 15, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
7 Steps to Managing Water on Your Property
Register here
June 4, 2025
FREE WEBINAR:
Attracting Hummingbirds
Register here
WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
Learn More