Chelone lyonii Hot Lips

Chelone lyonii Hot Lips, also known as 'Hot Lips' Turtlehead, is one of the tallest in its genus and is easy to grow in the garden. A perennial with a strong root system, it has rapid growth and will adapt to any moist to damp soil. Its dense and long-lasting flower spikes are a beautiful rosy purple colour and appear in summer. The glossy, dentate, and abundant foliage is a vibrant green. It is a low-maintenance plant, perfect for flower beds in moist to waterlogged soil, near water sources.

Hot Lips Turtlehead belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. It is a cultivar derived from Chelone lyonii, native to the mountains of southeastern United States. This tall perennial has an upright habit and reaches a height of 80 cm (32in), with a spread of 50 cm (20in). Its growth is fast, reaching maturity within two years of cultivation. It blooms from the heart of summer until September, with flowers resembling miniature foxgloves. The flowers have an intense and dark purple colour, with a sparse yellow beard. They measure 1 to 2 cm (1in) long and are arranged in short, compact terminal spikes. The foliage consists of very dark green, glossy, almost sessile (without petiole) ovate to lanceolate, dentate leaves with well-defined veins, measuring 15 cm (6in) long. Its root is thick, fibrous, and pivoting.

Plant Hot Lips Turtlehead in October or March, in deeply worked soil carefully amended with leaf compost, as it is a hungry plant. Turtlehead prefer dappled sunlight and partial shade. In flower beds, mulch the base from June onwards as the soil must remain consistently moist. It will adapt to various types of moist soil, whether clayey, humus-rich, loamy, acidic, neutral, or alkaline, as long as it is deep and remains consistently moist to wet. Let the stems curl up on the clumps during winter and remove them only in spring. Every three years, divide the clumps if they become too large. Take care to protect them from attacks by slugs and snails.

As a transition between summer blooms and the arrival of asters, Turtlehead is valuable in perennial flower beds, alongside geraniums, Lobelia, Rudbeckia, and grasses. It is a good plant for borders, flower beds, and natural areas where it will colonise. It will also thrive on the banks and shores of water sources, helping to stabilise them, alongside willowherbs and astilbes.