Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia 'Raspberry Glow') is a broadleaf evergreen shrub native to Eastern North America, prized for its stunning spring flowers and year-round foliage. This gnarled, multi-stemmed plant grows 4-5 feet tall and wide in zones 4-9, thriving in partial shade with moderate moisture and maintenance. Its dense, rounded habit and showy blooms from May through June make it an excellent choice for hedging and woodland gardens.
Partial Shade
Moderate
4-9
60in H x 60in W
—
High
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Pink raspberry-toned flowers emerge in late spring against glossy, persistent green leaves that turn bronzed in cold weather. Mountain Laurel grows naturally across rocky woods, mountain slopes, and cool meadows from New England down through the southern Appalachians and Gulf states, a testament to its adaptability across diverse Eastern ecosystems. Deer and rabbits leave it untouched, and its evergreen structure provides garden interest long after the flowers fade.
Mountain Laurel serves as an ornamental shrub, particularly valued for hedging and screening in woodland settings. Its evergreen foliage and spring flowers make it a landscape feature from late spring through the full year, and its resistance to deer browsing makes it reliable where wildlife pressure is high.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Prune Mountain Laurel after flowering to maintain shape and remove any dead or crossing branches. The plant naturally forms a dense, rounded habit, so pruning is moderate; focus mainly on removing spent flower clusters immediately after bloom to keep the plant tidy and encourage future blooming.
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“Mountain Laurel is native to Eastern North America, where it has thrived for millennia across open rocky or sandy woods, cool meadows, mountain balds, slopes, and woodland margins from New England south through southern Indiana, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle. The species Kalmia latifolia is named for Peter Kalm, an 18th-century Swedish botanist, and has been cultivated in gardens for centuries. The 'Raspberry Glow' selection represents modern horticultural selection for superior flower color, building on centuries of appreciation for this wild native shrub.”