Mountain laurels are unusually cold-resistant shrubs that grow 4 to 8 feet high in about 10 years but can easily be kept smaller by pruning. Their 3- to 5-inch lustrous dark green leaves are attractive at all seasons, but they are nearly hidden beneath 4- to 6-inch clusters of small cuplike blossoms in late spring. The flowers range in color from nearly white to a pink so deep as to seem almost red; brownish flecks inside the cups look like freckles or sprinkles of nutmeg. The structure of the flowers is unusual--each stamen is held in a tiny slot under tension until it is released when touched by bees so that it catapults pollen onto them. The plants make handsome ornaments when planted near a foundation or in a shrub border, and can be massed to create a spectacular springtime effect.
Mountain laurels thrive in light shade and moist acid soil. They will tolerate deep shade but bear fewer flowers there than in brighter light. Do not cultivate the soil around the plants to keep roots moist and cool; instead, use a permanent 2- to 6-inch mulch of wood chips, oak leaves, or ground bark. If faster-than-average growth is desired, dust the soil under the plants with rhododendron-azalea-camellia fertilizer or cottonseed meal in spring. Remove seed capsules after the flowers fade to ensure an abundance of blossoms the next season. Pruning is rarely needed, but to lower the height of a plant, prune immediately after flowering; new stems will sprout even from large branches. If an old plant has become too large, cut the plant back so that only 2-inch stubs remain above the ground; it will soon grow into a small, thickly foliaged shrub.
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3/11/00. Just beginning to put out this year's blossom buds.
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4/15/00. Buds are swelling; won't be long now.
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4/23/00. Full length view of the mountain laurel.
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4/23/00. Bursting to open.
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5/3/00. Starting to open up.
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5/8/00. Just about in full bloom.
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5/8/00. Beautiful!
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5/8/00. Single blossom looks like porcelain.
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5/14/00. Just beginning to fade.
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5/25/00. Gone...but not forgotten.
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