This cultivar of the Pink Turtlehead was introduced to the garden trade by North Creek Nursery in southeast Pennsylvania, selected because it has a richer pink flower color and darker green leaves than the straight species. The species is native to the southeastern US in Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, and has naturalized in New York, New England, and the state of Washington. The species gets its name of "turtlehead" from the hooded snapdragon-like flowers that resemble a turtle's head. This Greek genus name of "Chelone" comes from the name of a nymph who was punished for not attending the wedding of Zeus with Hera by being turned into a turtle. The species name of "lyonii" comes from that of John Lyon who was a botanist in the southern Appalachians in the late 18th century and early 19th century. This 'Hot Lips' is the common cultivar that is offered by many nurseries and garden centers in eastern North America. It is easy to grow, doing best in part shade with morning sun and afternoon shade in moist, rich soil. If there is too much shade, it will fall over or lodge and will need staking. I have noticed that bumblebees are happy to go through all the work of crawling into the flowers. My old plant grows about 4 feet high or a little more and is about 4.5 feet wide as a clump. In 2020 I cut the plant way back in June so that it grew to only about 27 inches high and then still bloomed well.

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'Hot Lips' Turtlehead is a selection of the species that differs in having deeper green foliage and bright, deep pink flowers. Otherwise it's quite similar - 2 to 3 feet tall, late summer flowers, prefers average to moist soil and full sun. (Sunlight Gardens)

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This is a reliable bloomer and adds some needed color to the garden in the later part of summer. It does like some extra moisture, but does not seem picky about soil. Seems not to be prone to any insect or disease issues.

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