White Turtlehead is a perennial grown for its white blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 8, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a real draw for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
White Turtlehead — the short answer
White Turtlehead: grown in zones 3–8, part sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
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What White Turtlehead is
White Turtlehead grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow White Turtlehead
White Turtlehead grows in USDA zones 3 through 8. White Turtlehead does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on consistently moist ground.
USDA Zones
3-8
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant white turtlehead in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
White Turtlehead prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut white turtlehead blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where White Turtlehead thrives
White Turtlehead is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–8 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 34 outright and splits 17 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–8·Where White Turtlehead growsOpen map →
Where White Turtlehead stands, state by state
White Turtlehead is rated for zones 3–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 34 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 17 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–8
34 states
3 of 34 shown
The line runs through
17 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 17 shown
White Turtlehead’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around White Turtlehead
Growing guides for white turtlehead
In rotation planning, white turtlehead counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — white turtlehead isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
White Turtlehead is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside White Turtlehead's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if White Turtlehead will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether white turtlehead actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about White Turtlehead
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow White Turtlehead in my zone?
White Turtlehead grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant White Turtlehead?
White Turtlehead is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does White Turtlehead need?
White Turtlehead does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does White Turtlehead need?
White Turtlehead prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on consistently moist ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does White Turtlehead attract pollinators?
Yes — white turtlehead's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is White Turtlehead safe for pets?
White Turtlehead is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)