Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' (Turtlehead) Unity Grown

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' is a showy ornamental cultivar of pink turtlehead, also called Lyon's turtlehead, a small to medium perennial wildflower found throughout the Appalachian range and New England and noted for its vibrant pink blossoms that last from late summer until early fall. Closely related to Chelone glabra, pink turtlehead is slightly more compact and typically grows to only 2-4' tall, forming small colonial clumps with a spread of up to about 24-36" wide; the 'Hot Lips' cultivar improves upon the parent species with darker, more intense, rose-pink flowers thatcontrast beautifully with dark, glossy-green, deer resistant foliage, adding intense color to the late summer garden. As a late-season bloomer, 'Hot Lips' is also late to emerge in the spring, so don't be too surprised if the plant's new shoots are not apparent until late April or May.

Though its parent species is commonly found in wet or swampy areas, 'Hot Lips' prefers things a touch drier, thriving in medium to wet, well-draining fertile soils, which makes it an ideal choice for rain garden edging, wetland margin plantings, or moist perennial borders, as well as any area from full sun down to fairly dense partial-shade. Since it tends to prefer things a bit on the drier side anyway, it's no surprise that 'Hot Lips' is additionally a bit more tolerant of drought than its relatives C. glabra and C. obliqua. As an added benefit to its showy, ornmanetal value, pink turtlehead's flowers are attractive to many pollinators including bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. As an ornamental cultivar noted for its blooms, 'Hot Lips' can be pinched back in the spring to produce bushier growth and more compact, profuse flowering that's less prone to flopping over time.