Chelone

Botanical/Latin
   Chelone

Pronunciation
   chel-O-nee

Common Name
   Turtlehead

Hardiness zone range
   4 - 8

General Comments
Handsome, tough, and reliable perennials with unusual beaked (like snapdragons) flowers that are carried on stiff stems in late summer into autumn. The foliage is glossy green with distinct saw-tooth edges to the leaves.

Uses
Great in beds or borders, or among lower ground covering plants where the erect habit punctuates the display. Flowering towards the end of the season, they are remarkably weather resistant and provide valuable color and interest when others have finished flowering or are unable to cope with the blustery and rainy conditions of fall. Woodland dwellers in their natural habitat, they thrive on moist soils in light shade, so they are excellent for natural style groupings under trees, alongside streams and ponds, or on the shady side of tall walls or buildings. Given the right conditions, they will slowly spread to colonize the area. In wildflower gardens, butterfly caterpillars will feed on the foliage and small birds feed on the seed heads.

Light Preference
Best in shady conditions, they can be grown in full sun if sufficient moisture is present during the spring and dry periods.

Culture
Easy to grow and troubled by few pest or diseases, they perform best in humus rich, moderately fertile soils. At planting time, it is a good idea to incorporate extra peat, composted bark, or similar organic media to create a "humusy", woodland type soil; mulching also helps to retain moisture during dry spells. It is a good idea to trim back the foliage by about half around mid to late spring; this encourages young, bushy growth and helps to prevent them becoming floppy in shady conditions.

Background
Chelone is Greek for turtle or tortoise. It comes from the curiously shaped flowers, and the common name refers to the same. Chelone lyonii is named after John Lyon, a gardener from Forfar, Scotland, who was based in Philadelphia. He made botanical collections in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Like many intrepid plant collectors, he braved the perils of nature, in distant and remote places, to seek and introduce plants that would adorn the fashionable estates of "landed gentry" in Europe. He was an enterprising, commercial opportunist rather than a scientific explorer. He collected plants and seeds, established them in nurseries, and then offered them at sales in London. In his journals, he describes his "botanical rambles" as enduring, among other things, severe sumac poisoning, losing his horse, and suffering exposure in heavy rain without fire or shelter. On one trip, he was bitten three times by a mad dog and had to cauterize his own wounds. It is believed that he collected this Chelone in North Carolina, and it was part of a consignment he took to London in 1806. He died of typhoid near Asheville N.C. in 1814. Chelones grow well in the cool, moist climates of western Europe, and they became regular features in the natural style "Robinsoniana" and smaller, cottage style gardens during the early and middle part of last century. More recently, they have become increasingly popular in American gardens as we discover the advantages of their ease of culture, low maintenance, extended seasonal interest, and new, deeper, color selections.

Splendor Suggestions
Create fun and an early interest in the wonders of nature by picking a flower or two and showing why they are called Turtle heads. Children are fascinated by plants with unusual features, and, just like the flowers on snapdragons, Chelone flowers can be pinched to open their "snapping" mouths; even better, with a little imagination, fangs (internal flower organs) are revealed inside!

Companion Plants
For lively color combinations, try it with Physostegia 'Vivid' or Asters like 'Alert' or 'Alice Haslem'; the vibrant pinks really make the planting come alive. Where a softer, more subtle effect is required, combine with the stunning white flowers of Anemome 'Honorine Jobert' or the toad lily, Tricyrtis x 'Miyazaki'. Astilbe chinensis 'Purple Candles' or any of the complimentary cultivars like 'Visions' or 'Veronica Klose' are good companions where the ground conditions are wetter.