The turtlehead plant scientific name
is Chelone glabra. This plant actually goes by many names which are snakehead, fish
mouth, shellflower, snakemouth, cod head, balmony and bitter herb. The flowers
of this plant look like the head of a turtle, which earn the plant the popular
name. The turtlehead plant is a member of the Figwort family.
The turtlehead
plant is an interesting perennial wildflower that is found in many parts of the
eastern United States along stream banks, rivers, lakes and damp ground. These
plants are hardy and they require minimal maintenance and they also provide
lots of late season color to the landscape.
How to care for Turtlehead
plant
This plant is with a mature height of
about two to three feet, and a spread of 1 foot and pretty whitish pink flowers.
Actually, turtlehead plant is a conversation piece in any garden. If you really
have a moist place in your landscape, the turtlehead plant will be right at
home, but they are hardy enough to grow in dry soil as well. Also in addition
to moist soil, growing this plant also requires a soil pH that is neutral and
either full sun or part shade. The Turtlehead plant can be started from seeds
indoors, by directly sowing in a boggy location or with young plants or
divisions.
Furthermore, Turtlehead plants are
great for natural landscapes, the plant are also very pretty in a vase as part
of a cut flower bouquet. The pretty buds will last about one week in a
container. A lot of gardeners really like to grow the turtlehead plant around
the perimeter of their vegetable gardens, because deer are not really interested
in them. Their late summer blooms provide a lot of delicious nectar for hummingbirds
and butterflies, which makes them a favorite of nature lovers. These plants
divide easily and they enjoy a deep layer of organic mulch. This plant also does
best in USDA planting zones 4-7. The Turtlehead plants are not suited for
desert-like conditions and they will not really survive in southwestern United
States.
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