Chelone lyonii: Lyon’s Turtlehead

Late Blooming Beauty For Your Fall Garden

By: Lauren M. Liff for Dabah Landscape Designs

            Chelone lyonii also known as Lyon’s turtlehead or pink turtlehead is a great way to add wonderful color and a unique twist to your garden late in the season. The turtlehead’s name stems from a story in Greek mythology where a nymph (named Chelone) refused to attend the wedding of Zeus and Hera, the gods punished her by turning her into a turtle. However, I’m sure she would be honored to have such an interestingly beautiful flower named after her! The turtlehead adds seasonal interest to your garden with not only its unique blossoms but its thick foliage as well. As the flowers of summer start to fade, this beauty is just getting started.

            The turtlehead features rose-pink flowers set on terminal spikes piping out of thick, deep green lustrous foliage. The name “turtlehead” refers to the flowers that slightly resemble a turtle’s head, similar to the hooded flower of the snapdragon. They have pink corollas that have lower lips covered in a slightly yellow beard. The foliage is ovate and coarsely-toothed – the leaves are about 3 to 6 inches long with slender petioles, rounded bases and pointed tips.

It can grow to be 2 to 4 feet tall and is easily groomed to have a bushy habit simply by practicing regular pinching. It can also be kept slightly shorter if you pinch back the stem ends in the spring. Being deer resistant, a pollinator favorite as well as being adored by butterflies, makes the turtlehead a late season perennial favorite. When designing your shade garden, accompany Chelone with Heuchera Americana, Polystichum acrostichoides, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, Lobelia siphilitica and Conoclinium coelestinum for a true late season combo.

            Chelone thrives in moist soil and light shade, however it can become slightly drought tolerant once it’s established. They prefer humusy soils along with well-composted leaf mulch – this will come in handy if you are growing you’re Chelone is growing in a sunnier spot. If you are decide to plant your turtlehead in a full shade area, keep in mind that your plant is more likely to need staking for support due to its build and mature height – however if planted in optimum conditions, staking will not be needed. Chelone spreads by slowly sending out rhizomes that will form large clumps – it is not considered to be invasive but it will self-seed in moist soils. It can be propagated by division, cuttings and by seed.

            Chelone isn’t badly susceptible to most insects or diseases. It can succumb to mildew if it’s grown in soils that are kept mostly dry or if the air circulation in the surrounding area is poor – but when planted in its optimum environment Chelone can be an incredibly successful plant. It makes a great addition to shade and woodland gardens as well as bog gardens or surrounding a shaded pond. It can be used as a border plant and will make a fantastically interesting cut flower. When the weather grows colder and the bright colors of summer being to disappear, Chelone blossoms will pop and bring life back to your late season landscape. 

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The True Cottage Garden Heartthrob

Dicentra eximia: The Fern-leaf Bleeding Heart

By: Lauren M. Liff for Dabah Landscape Designs

            In almost every cottage style garden you see, there is one breathtaking plant that rules over all others: the fern-leaf bleeding heart. A true shade garden staple, this stunning perennial offers beautiful blooms almost all summer long unlike its cousin Dicentra spectabilis. The fern-leaf bleeding heart tends to stay on the dwarf side and rarely grows more than 15 inches in height. It will bloom all summer long without going dormant and it comes in a range of foliage and bloom color, providing gardeners everywhere with many options for the shady spots in their landscape.

            A North American native, the fern-leaf bleeding heart has been used by breeders to develop a number of different varieties that come in a wide range of colors from the cherry red flowers of the ‘Luxuriant’ to the pure white flowers of the ‘Snowdrift’. The ‘Bacchanal’ variety offers the deepest red bloom of them all and is adorned with foliage that is almost a silver-blue shade. All varieties are low lying and slow spreading and require little to no maintenance all season long. Dicentra eximia features hearth shaped flowers hanging from long arched stems slightly resembling the look of a dangling bouquet. These incredibly recognizable blooms sit atop finely cut foliage that is typically a blue-green shade.

            The fern-leaf bleeding heart can tolerate very cold winters and don’t tend to be too picky when it comes to soil type, however they do thrive in moist, fertile soil. They can be planted in the sun however they do best in a part to full shade area. Too much shade will lessen the number of flowers. When planting your bleeding heart, avoid placing it where it will be in competition with tree roots – lack of water and available nutrients will greatly shorten its lifespan. To keep it as healthy and happy as possible, it should be divided every 3 or 4 years in early spring and the soil should be amended with organic matter (compost will work the best). Once it is established, the fern-leaf bleeding heart is disease and insect resistant and will flower continuously from spring to fall year after year without needing to be deadheaded or pruned.

            Thanks to its dwarf habit, the fern-leaf bleeding heart is perfect as a front border plant in a shady garden. You can also use it in a shade-rock garden or woodland garden along the rocks. Its beautiful foliage makes it perfect as an edging plant as well. The blue-green color of the leaves contrast beautifully with the purple-red leaves of Heuchera or the gold leaves of the Hosta variety ‘Daybreak’. You can also plant it along side Hakonechloa as well as many fern varieties. The fern-leaf bleeding heart in combination with these companion plants will give your shade garden an incredible range of colors and textures to provide you with season long interest.

http://www.michigangardener.com/plant-focus-fern-leaf-bleeding-heart/