Species pink turtlehead
pink flowers with lime-green buds and dark-green leaves with lime-yellow midribs and green veins

pink turtlehead

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips'

Pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips') is an amazing perennial flower with striking hot pink, white and pink-bronze bicolor flowers. A clump-forming North American native plant, it's a magnet for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Growing in well-drained sunny spots it can reach over 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide with oval or heart shaped leaves. In the late summer, its vivid bicolor hooded flowers bloom and will last for weeks. Pink Turtlehead not only brightens up gardens and patios but is also extremely hardy and resistant to drought and deer. Plant in groups, as a specimen, or naturalize near a pond or stream for an attractive backyard display. It is truly an amazinig plant!

Cycle:

Herbaceous Perennial

Watering:

Frequent

Propagation:

Division,Cutting,Seed Propagation,Layering Propagation

Hardiness Zone:

3 - 8

Flowers:

Rose pink Flowers

Sun:

Full sun,part shade

Leaf:

Yes

Leaf Color:

green,red,pink

Growth Rate:

Low

Maintenance:

Moderate

Drought Tolerant:

Yes

Salt Tolerant:

Yes

Care Level:

Medium

watering

Pink turtlehead requires regular and consistent watering to keep it healthy. Water the plant immediately after planting and once a week thereafter until it has established strong roots. Afterward, water deeply every 3 days or so, allowing the soil to dry somewhat between waterings. When utilizing a watering method that is more than once a week, and for those times in between rainfall, it is best to water around the roots of the plant to avoid creating excess moisture in the soil.

sunlight

Pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips') should ideally have 4-6 hours of direct sunlight each day in an area that is not too hot in order to thrive. It can tolerate partial sun, however it is best planted in an area which receives morning sun and somewhat shaded in the afternoon. Full shade is not recommended and may cause poor flowering.

pruning

Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips') is best pruned in late winter or early spring. Cut back dead or diseased stems with sterilized pruning shears, and prune away any stems that are overlapping or crowding 1 another. Trim the entire plant back by about 1/3 of the previous year's growth to promote bushyness and abundant blooming in late summer. Deadhead the flowers throughout the growing season in order to encourage additional blooms and discourage re-seeding.

Season

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Starts Flowering

The Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' typically starts flowering in late summer, usually in August or September.

Starts Flowering

The Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' typically starts flowering in late summer, usually in August or September.

Hardiness Map