This time of year, with frost not too far off, it is nice to see some color in the garden, still. Orange coneflower, new york aster, and the goldenrods are providing much delight. And if you consider white to be a color (sorry, spectrum purists), you’ll enjoy Chelone glabra as well. White turtlehead is a particularly good plant for the woodland garden. This perennial plant finds its home in eastern North America and likes partial shade and moist conditions. It will thrive with adequate amounts of leaf mulch. The plants can grow 4 to 5 feet in height, and with the heavy flower heads they may require staking. The foliage has a nice dark green color. The plant easily grows from seed, but the expanding rootstock will produce a lot of new growth as well.
Chelone glabra is used in traditional medicine nowadays, but native Americans and early settlers used it as well. Native Americans produced a tonic and laxative from the plant. Early settlers used the leaves to make a tonic to aid with jaundice, constipation and internal parasites. The leaves were also made into a salve to relieve itching and inflammation.
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