The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Turtlehead (Cheloneoblique)is a clump-forming perennial wildflower native to eastern North America.
Its hooded flowers resemble snapdragon blooms.
However, the plant can grow in full sun if its soil is continually moist.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Pink turtlehead (C. lyonii)is the species most tolerant of bright sun.
The less water stress they suffer, the more they will thrive.
Fertilizer
Don’t feed your turtlehead plants during their first year of growth.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
After that, a yearly spring feeding with a balanced liquid fertilizer is recommended to encourage blooms.
For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.
Types of Turtlehead Plants
Turtleheads are related to mint plants.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
There are many turtlehead species, hybrids, and cultivars.
Their native range is vast, spanning from Minnesota to Florida.
This will cause the plant to become more compact but fuller and showier.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Propagating Turtlehead Plants
Turtlehead is easily propagated by division.
In warmer zones, you will have the best luck dividing in early fall.
Some species, such asChelone glabra, requirecold stratificationto germinate.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
The seed package should indicate whether cold stratification is required and for how long.
The best time to seed red turtlehead, indoors or out, is in the spring.
Some can remain in bloom from September to November, making it well worth the wait for late-season color.
Since turtlehead blooms late in the season, there is no reason todeadheadspent flowers.
The seeds appear in pea-shaped pods.
What Do Turtlehead Flowers Look and Smell Like?
Althoughpollinators favor this plant, deer, and rabbits tend to leave it alone.
Turtlehead flowers have no discernible scent.
How to Encourage More Blooms?
They will not thrive in high heat, full beating sun, or alkaline or dry, poor soil.
Floppy Plants
If turtlehead stems are floppy or falling over, your plant likely needs more sun.
you’re free to provide more light or support the plant with stakes to keep them upright.
Prevent leaf scorch by giving the plant more water during hotter, drier, and sunnier days.
Turtlehead plants spread by rhizomes underground, slowly forming clumps of plants.
Turtleheads are native to North America and are not invasive.
In fact, they are important host plants for Baltimore checkerspot butterflies, whose larvae feed on the leaves.
Turtleheads also attract bees and hummingbirds, making them an excellent plant for a pollinator garden.
Turtlehead plants are not toxic to dogs, other animals, or humans.
