Chelone Lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ Turtlehead

Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ has showy spikes of 2″ hooded, deep pink flowers on reddish stems. Also called Turtlehead, the individual blooms resemble a turtle’s head. The foliage of Chelone ‘Hot Lips’ emerges with a bronze tint in the spring and then matures to crisp, dark green.

Chelone ‘Hot Lips’ is a cultivar of Chelone lyonii, a perennial native to a few Gulf Coast and several Eastern states. It is usually found in wet areas such as stream banks, moist woods, and wetlands.

Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ grows best in sun with moist, even boggy soil, but will adapt to drier soils. It is visited by hummingbirds and butterflies.