Mountain Laurel is one of the most beautiful of the native shrubs, rivaling the azaleas.
Clusters of large, white-to-pink flowers with deep rose spots bloom late spring to early summer. Mountain Laurel is attractive year-round with evergreen foliage on stout branches that spread from short, crooked trunks.
It is a dense, rounded shrub that provides winter cover and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
Fun fact: Mountain Laurel was first discovered, on record, growing in the wild in 1624 (Brooklyn Botanic Garden). It is the state flower of both Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Mountain Laurel is a member of the ericaceae family. For information on this family of plants, visit this info sheet from Penn State Extension.
Laurel, Mountain
- Latin: Kalmia latifolia
- Pollinator value: Very high
- Height: 6-10'; 4-8' spread
- Light: Part shade (tolerates full sun to full shade)
- Soil: Medium/moist
- Bloom: Late spring-summer
- Leaf: Evergreen
- Landscape: Specimen, edge of woods, borders, along foundations.
- Deer resistant: Yes
- Native range here