How to Trim My Pink Turtlehead Back in the Fall

If you have an area of the garden that has heavy, clay soil and remains moist most of the time, plant pink turtleheads. Also known as Chelone, these members of the figwort family thrive in wet, boggy soils. Pink turtlehead blooms in summer through fall with racemes that look a bit like asparagus spears before they open. Grow pink turtlehead within zones 3a through 8a on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Division and trimming is best carried out in spring but the next best ideal time is in fall.

Things You'll Need

• Bypass pruners
• Spade

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Wait until after the first heavy frost to trim back the pink turtlehead. If you live in a frost-free area, trim it back anytime in fall.

   • 2

     Cut the pink turtlehead's foliage and flower stalks to within 4 to 6 inches of the soil. Use the bypass pruners for small plants and loppers for the larger ones.

   • 3

     Use a spade to slice into the root ball to trim off large portions of the pink turtlehead. These portions can be dug up and replanted.

   • 4

     Apply 3 inches of mulch over the pink turtlehead's crown if you live in a region with heavy snowfall. Pull the mulch back when the weather warms in spring.