White Turtlehead
By Lise Fracalossi
Chelone glabra
Native to: All of New England
Life cycle: Perennial
Light: Full/Partial Sun
Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium-Wet
Height: 1-3’
Spacing: 2’
Blooms: July-September
Bloom Color: White
Natural Habitat: Moist to wet meadows, thickets, and wooded streamsides
Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Baltimore Checkerspot), Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance, Attracts Hummingbirds
Pairs Well With: Golden Alexander, blue iris, blue lobelia, New England aster, and New York ironweed
“An attractive plant of wetland margins, white turtlehead makes a good wildflower garden plant, attracting bumblebees and the occasional hummingbird.”
– Go Botany
“Turtlehead flowers look like a turtle poking its head out of the shell. While restricted to moist soils in the wild, they tolerate average garden soil as long as drought is avoided. Attractive to bumblebees and other pollinators and a host plant for Baltimore checkerspot and buckeye butterflies.”
– Native Plant Trust
