Plant Care Guide: Mountain Laurel

 Botanical Name: Kalmia latifolia

State: Philadelphia

Category: Shrubs

Height: 8 to 15 feet tall; 6 to 20 feet wide (mature size)

Broadleaf evergreen

Flowers: White, pink, rose, bicolor; starlike cup

Bloom: Late May or June, depending on the variety

Features: Flowers; Pennsylvania's state flower

Mountain Laurel

Mountain laurel, the lovely native shrub of our Pennsylvania forests, is our state flower. It has always been valued for its wonderful glossy, dense, dark-green foliage, its large round clusters of white flowers, and its vigor. Over the last 40 years or so this wild beauty has undergone a transformation at the hands of plant breeders and now ranks high on every list of first-rate ornamental shrubs. Its globes of intricately formed florets come in many rich colors, the florets sometimes fancifully marked with brownish bands or splotches. Reportedly resistant to the attentions of deer, it is slow growing and long lived. Use mountain laurel as specimens, as foundation plants, or naturalized in woodland settings.

Care and Maintenance 

Mulch the root zone of the mountain laurel year-round with a 2- or 3-inch layer of organic material. Water the shrub regularly if rainfall is unreliable until it is well established. In the spring sprinkle slow-acting granular fertilizer formulated for acid-loving shrubs on the mulch for the rain to soak in. Over the years the decomposing mulch will maintain soil fertility and eliminate the need for routine fertilizing. In the spring cut back any broken or winter-killed branches to live wood. Otherwise, allow the branching to remain natural and free form. After bloom, trim off spent flowers. If shrubs are old and gangly, renew them by cutting the stems back to within 6 inches of the ground to stimulate new and dense growth.

Additional Information 

Cut branches of mountain laurel for indoor display when the flowers are mostly swelling buds. Strip off any leaves that will be below the water in their container, recut the woody stem ends, and put them immediately into a container filled with lukewarm water.  

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