Mountain Laurel shrubs are stunning year-round, with glossy evergreen leaves and tiny, geometric flower clusters in the spring. Their branches twist to form sculptural arrangements. Growing Mountain Laurels is exceptionally easy: they require no fertilizer and are happy with rain after the first year. Spend a day planting a few and watch them return decades of fuss-free beauty.
- Part Sun, Full Shade
- Height depends on species
- Spring flowers
- Pollinator lifeline
What are the benefits of planting native Mountain Laurel?
Mountain Laurel is a gorgeous native shrub that is easy to grow and returns decades of beauty. A native plant is a plant that has grown in an area for thousands of years. They have lived through every drought, storm, and crazy weather event and thrive with just rain.
Planting native plants like Mountain Laurel is important for lots of reasons, including:
- Native plants are the favorite food and homes for butterflies and birds
- Native plants have happily existed for thousands of years in their home area; they know our soil and seasons
- Planting native lets you be a lazy gardener! After native plants are established, they are happy with rain
These are just a few reasons why planting native plants keeps our yards and landscaping gorgeous with less work. (Did you know lawns can take 2400% MORE TIME than native gardens?)
Now let’s meet some native Mountain Laurels that will look amazing in your yard. First, let’s get one similarly-named plant out of the way.
Mountain Laurel vs. *Texas* Mountain Laurel
There are many species of mountain laurel native to America that fall into either the “Mountain Laurel” or “Texas Mountain Laurel” group.
Here is a quick overview:
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia genus
The ‘Kalmia’ species of Mountain Laurels are native to the Eastern US. Shrubs in this species group have tiny flowers shaped like algebraic equations. You’ll know you’ve got the right plant if the Latin name starts with Kalmia. Read on to learn more about these plants!
Texas Mountain Laurel
Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
Texas Mountain Laurel is native to Central Texas through to New Mexico. This species has flowers that smell glorious. Read about Texas Mountain Laurel in another plant profile.
In this article, we’ll focus on the ‘Kalmia’ genus
The Mountain Laurel (genus = ‘Kalmia’) has lots of different native varieties and cultivars within it. A Kalmia Mountain Laurel covers itself in constellations of flowers in the late spring. After the flower display is over, its evergreen glossy leaves look great year-round.
Mountain Laurels are a perfect shrub to plant in highly visible areas—they look great all the time. If you live in the Northeast, Midwest, or Mid-Atlantic, plant a few Mountain Laurels when you can.
Meet the native Mountain Laurels
Here are Mountain Laurel species native to North America:
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Native range: Found along the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida and west to Louisiana.
Description: This slow-growing evergreen shrub is loved for its clusters of delicate, geometric white or pale pink flowers in spring. Sometimes called “Spoonwood,” it can grow up to 8 feet tall and wide.
Ideal conditions: Thrives in shade to part-shade and moist, acidic soil.
Swamp Mountain Laurel
Kalmia polifolia
Native range: Found in wet, boggy environments across North America, particularly in cooler regions from Nova Scotia west to Manitoba and south to northern parts of the United States, including Michigan and New York.
Description: This small shrub averages 2-3 feet tall and wide and thrives in wet areas.
Ideal conditions: Prefers wet, acidic soils in part shade to full shade areas.
There are a few rare Mountain Laurel species
There are also a few other native Mountain Laurel species that hang out in the Kalmia genus. These others can be found in the wild or at botanic gardens, but they are rarely seen in plant nurseries. These other species include:
- Sheep Laurel, native to the Northeast (Kalmia angustifolia)
- Mountain Myrtle, native to the Southeast (Kalmia buxifolia)
Seen other colors? Those are probably Mountain Laurel cultivars
While you may not find these species in plant nurseries, you will probably find some Mountain Laurel cultivars, which are bred and created from these original native species.
You’ll know it’s a Mountain Laurel cultivar when you see a cheeky, marketing-speak name in ‘single quotes,’ following its Latin name. Some popular Mountain Laurel cultivars include:
Mountain Laurel ‘Minuet’
Kalmia latifolia ‘Minuet’
‘Minuet’ has a delicate stripe around its light-pink flowers. It has been cultivated to be short (3 feet tall and wide).
Mountain Laurel ‘Tinkerbell’
Kalmia latifolia ‘Tinkerbell’
Kalmia latifolia ‘Tinkerbell’ has bright pink, Barbie-like flowers. It is also cultivated to be short (about 3 feet high and wide.)
Mountain Laurel ‘Olympic Fire’
Kalmia latifolia ‘Olympic Fire’
‘Olympic Fire’ is a larger shrub (5 feet tall and wide). It has hot pink buds that open into a lighter pink bloom.
If you’re wondering if you should plant a true native over a cultivar (which is also sometimes ‘nativar’), we have a recommendation:
Native vs. Cultivar
Plant true native plants whenever possible. Cultivars (short for CULTivated VARieties) are selected and made by humans and do not offer the same benefits to bugs, birds, and animals that native plants do.
That said—if you fall in love with a cultivar, plant away. Planting a native cultivar is always more beneficial to wildlife than planting a non-native plant.
Now that you’ve met some native Mountain Laurels—you’re ready to plant some. Here’s the where and how, alongside some plant pairing inspiration.
FAQs
What's the difference between Mountain Laurels, Azaleas, and Rhododendrons?
All three of these shrubs get confused for good reason—they have many similarities. All three are flowering shrubs with native options for North American gardens.
To learn more about their differences, visit our article aptly titled Azaleas vs. Mountain Laurels vs. Rhododendrons—What’s the difference?
When do Mountain Laurels bloom?
On the east coast, Mountain Laurels bloom from the spring to the late spring. When Mountain Laurels are in bloom, they are knockouts. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden says it beautifully:
“In addition to being tolerant of shade, Kalmia latifolia produces exquisite clusters of delicate, fused-petal blossoms that resemble tiny origami rice bowls. When the buds burst open in May or June, the branches are virtually obscured by blooms. They can range from white to pink to deep rose and are distinctively tattooed with symmetrical maroon or purple dots or streaks.”
Is Mountain Laurel poisonous?
All parts of Mountain Laurel—its leaves, flowers, etc—are poisonous if eaten. Eating Mountain Laurel can cause severe digestive upset, weakness, and paralysis.
If you have young kids or animals prone to eating plants in the yard, this is probably not a good native plant for your garden.
Where to plant Mountain Laurels
Plant Mountain Laurels in visible places, such as front yards, against foundations, and along driveways. They are a perfect shrub to replace boxwoods, which are non-native (honestly kind of boring!) shrubs. Mountain Laurels have glossy, evergreen leaves when they’re not in bloom, so they look great all the time.
Mountain Laurels are ‘understory’ shrubs
Mountain laurels do well in a wide range of light—part sun to shade—because they are built to play nice next to taller trees. They are called “understory shrubs” because they are found underneath larger trees in nature.
What this means for planting is that they do well in lots of different situations, whether near a building or underneath an existing tree. The only type of light that will not work is full, blasting sun.
Mountain Laurel is deer-proof
Deer do NOT eat Mountain Laurel. If you’re worried about deer nibbling your garden, planting Mountain Laurel is good native gardening choice.
What pairs well with native Mountain Laurel?
There are so many native plants that look great and pair nicely with Mountain Laurel, such as shrubs like native azaleas, Sweetshrubs, native rhododendrons, and Winterberries, Here are some stellar combinations for your garden.
Native shrubs and trees to pair with Mountain Laurel
Native flowers to pair with Mountain Laurel
Looking to keep the pollinator party going? Here are some stellar flower combinations:
Mountain Laurel is a beautiful, easy-to-grow, evergreen shrub
To sum it up: Mountain Laurel is a stellar evergreen shrub that looks great planted in highly visible areas: front gardens, backyard edges, and property lines. Their dark green, glossy leaves look beautiful year-round. In the spring, they cover themselves in constellations of flowers. They are happy in a wide variety of light (shade, part shade, some sun.) Plant a few and enjoy them for decades to come. Happy planting!
Sources
- Harris, Marjorie. Botanica North America: The Illustrated Guide to Our Native Plants, Their Botany, History, and the Way They Have Shaped Our World. (2003), 175-176.
- Lorimer, Uli. The Northeast Native Plant Primer. (2022), 94.
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Mountain Laurel.
- USDA Plant Profile, Kalmia latifolia.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Kalmia latifolia.
