Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Chelone glabra / Turtlehead
The humble turtlehead is native to the moist woodlands and mountains of Eastern and Midwest North America. It's one of the few native woodland plants that blooms after spring — in this case from July through September.
Details
- Prefers partial shade but can take full sun if planted in wet soil.
- Prefers moist soil, even if it's wet and clayey.
- Spreads to form large clumps.
- Hardy to Zones 3 to 9.
Care
- Supplemental watering in periods of drought.
- Pinching out the shoot tips in spring produces shorter, bushier plants.
Location Matters
Here you see it growing in the Washington, D.C. area, Zone 7A. If you've grown turtlehead and have comments you'd like to see included here, send 'em along — and tell me where you garden.
Good Information in Print
- The Well Tended Perennial Garden
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is the best-selling book on how to make your perennials healthier and better-looking. - Encyclopedia of Perennials
by Graham Rice is exhaustive and an outstanding general resource on the subject. - The Complete Flower Gardener
by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.