Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Mountain Laurel

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Pennsylvania State Flower

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) has been the Pennsylvania state flower since 1933.

This old beauty, another shrub that came with the house, is blooming now in my garden. It’s a shrub worth considering for ease of care if you have the right spot.

The evergreen Mountain Laurel prefers moist, well-drained acidy soil. It will grow in partial shade or full sun in a sheltered area out of winter winds in zones 4 to 9.

I can’t say I do much to make it grow so happily on the west side of the house. I trim it every few years to try to keep it a reasonable size. Some years I feed it a little Holly Tone. This may be a classic case of the right plant in the right spot.
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This old beauty is blooming now in my garden in a bed of azaleas. The pink puff balls will last a few weeks.
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(Mountain Laurel information from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation here.)
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4 comments:

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Your Mountain Laurel is a beauty. So different from ours in Texas. Here it is a shrubby small tree with purple blooms. Those pink puffs of blooms are stunning. Do they have a fragrance?

Marie said...

MG.
I don't detect any fragrance. For some reason the ML is prettier than usual this year. Maybe because of all the snow last winter. (?)

donna said...

What a great shrub to have growing in your yard. The close up photo of the flowers is spectacular. I luv learning things like -- Pennsylvania's State Flower.

donna

Marie said...

Thank you Donna. Glad you enjoyed it.