Backyard entertainment is always at hand when you cultivate the right plants to attract birds. In transforming your yard and garden into a bird oasis, remember to incorporate plantings that cater to the high-speed hummingbirds. These tiny birds require more than just nectar from a feeder to feel at home in your yard. Pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) draws hummingbirds along with other pollinators like butterflies and bumblebees with its large, pink flowers, enabling savvy gardeners to create a wildlife paradise.
With flowers resembling snapdragon blooms, pink turtlehead begins blooming late in the summer and continues into the fall. These perennial plants, also known as Appalachian turtlehead, form spreading clumps reaching up to 4 feet tall and 2 1/2 feet wide. Native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeast US, this flower is a great addition to your list of perennial plants for attracting birds — provided you have suitable growing conditions.
How to grow turtlehead plants for hummingbirds
This plantain family member, related to snapdragons and foxglove, thrives in various soil types including clay and loam. Conditions should remain fairly moist, and the soil should be rich in organic matter to support this plant’s growth. With clusters of turtlehead-shaped flowers, these woodland plants can tolerate wet conditions, allowing them to flourish in rain gardens, bogs, or beside streams or ponds.
Gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8 can incorporate pink turtlehead into their landscapes to attract birds and other wildlife. The plant can thrive under a range of sun exposures — full sun, partial shade, or light shade — offering flexibility in location. If your goal is to attract a greater variety of birds to your yard, consider growing other native plants alongside turtlehead, such as jewelweed, cardinal flower, and Virginia bluebells.
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