Hot Lips Turtlehead

Light Needs

Full Shade

(Less Than 2 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

2-4 Feet

Mature Spread

2 Feet

Growing Zones

3 to 8

Unique flowers that appear later in summer than many other perennials make the Hot Lips turtlehead a real eye-catcher in the landscape. The rosy-pink blooms are snapdragon-like and resemble the heads of open mouthed turtles. They appear on big, tight spikes that emerge above the foliage. The Hot Lips is well-suited to fill in parts of the landscape where drainage is an issue and other plants often suffer.

A native to the eastern United States, turtleheads often grow along wetland borders and in moist woods, testifying to its preference for shade and moisture. This plant pairs well with dwarf shrubs.  It also lends a unique flair to cut flower arrangements. Use it as a groundcover in very wet areas, woodland plantings, and along stream banks.

Hot Lips Turtlehead Care

This plant can grow in shaded or sunny sites. If grown in a sunnier site, plan to mulch around the plant with an organic material to conserve moisture. In shade, it can get leggy if not pruned in spring. Once established, the turtlehead can tolerate some drought but absolutely prefers moist to wet soil, so plan to water it weekly if it is growing outside of a naturally-moist area.

Turtleheads can be late to emerge in the spring. Once they do, you can prune or pinch them to encourage a bushier habit and keep them shorter. To avoid unwanted self-sowing, cut the entire plant to the ground during fall landscape cleanup.

Hot Lips Turtlehead Spacing

The Hot Lips turtlehead grows quickly to reach a height of two to three feet with a maximum spread of about two and a half feet. Space multiple plants one to two feet apart and use an irregular group to create a natural-looking mass planting.