Hot Lips pink turtlehead
Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips'
USDA zones3 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size2 to 4 feet tall12 to 24 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Erect
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Rose pink
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Hot Lips' pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips') is a perennial for borders, rain gardens, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to wet, loamy or clay soil. Stiff spikes of fat, rose pink flowers bloom from summer into fall. Reddish stems and bronze-green new growth add color, and butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees visit the blooms. It is not a favorite of deer, though hungry deer will eat almost anything.
Pairs well with Swamp milkweed, Joe Pye weed, Royal fern, and Prairie dropseed.