Of all the broad-leaf, flowering evergreens, the Mountain Laurel is my favorite!
The Mountain Laurel bush is understated; it always grows in the shadows of something, or at the base of another, larger, plant….. Off in the shady, shadows, and is happy to be there, and blooms beautifully where nothing else will!
The flowers of the Mountain Laurel, I believe, are very special; they are the last to bloom, in the showy broad-leaf evergreen procession of flowering shrubs in the Northeast.
The young buds of the Mountain Laurel look like bunches of tiny balloons.
Small flowers make up a cluster bloom, the individual flowers remind me of ‘pinwheels’, they are very intricate and detailed, if you take the time to examine them.
The color variations are spectacular!
Pruning is not necessary, in fact it doesn't like to be pruned, it is a polite, slow grower it grows away from other plants, and it benefits from hand removal of spent flowers.
Overall the Mountain Laurel is an exceptional shrub:
Beautiful dark green, shiny evergreen leaves,
Slow growing,
Hardy in zones 5-9
Flourishes in partial sun, to shade,
Loves acidic, moist, sandy, loamy or clay soil
Flowers late June thru July
Attracts butterflies and is deer resistant
The Mountain Laurel is a magnificent shrub, if there is a shady spot in your landscape where nothing else will grow, plant a little magic, plant a Mountain Laurel then sit back and relax…..it is totally worth the wait! Maureen
Hey Maureen,
Mountain Laurel happens to be my favorite flower!
Probably for the simple fact that whenever I travel and go hiking to various places in higher altitudes, I always have a great experience already and then I see this little flower.
Here's one of my favorite pics I've ever taken with one of my hiking friends several years ago, the mtn. laurel really are great to photograph!