Mountain Laurel Varieties

Parent Species

• Mountain laurel normally grows between 5 and 12 feet high, spreading out almost as wide. The shrub usually features a rounded appearance and its leaves are glossy and evergreen, with a dark green color. Flowers bloom during the end of May to start of June in clusters. The pink flowers turn white with time; mountain laurel remains in bloom for up to two weeks. The fruits they generate are of no ornamental consequence, but mountain laurel trunks, with their gnarled and twisted form, are interesting.

Varieties

• The main differences between the parent species of mountain laurel and its cultivars lie in the flowers or the size of the shrub. Bay State, for example, produces salmon to coral-pink flowers. Carousel features flowers that are a mix of cinnamon, white and purple. Fresca possesses flowers marked with chocolate-purple shades, while Heart of Fire has pink flowers. Peppermint has red and white flowers. Minuet, Little Linda and Elf are dwarf forms of mountain laurel, useful for small yards, growing to as small as just 2 feet high.

Geography

• The different forms of mountain laurel have some cold hardiness, growing in the more sheltered areas of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Most are reliable from USDA zone 5 into the warmer zones, with the shrub able to handle the heat up to zone 9. Mountain laurel in the wild grows as an understory species in forests where the sun filters through the canopy, or near the borders of wooded tracts. It is native from southern Maine through northwest portions of Florida and west to southeastern Louisiana.

Growing Conditions

• The main requirement for a mountain laurel is that the ground possesses an acidic nature. The soil must drain well and be relatively moist, and the site should be cool. Keep your mountain laurels out of hot areas and locations where the wind would get a chance to affect it. Although mountain laurel will grow in full shade, as a landscaping tool, keep it in full sun or partial shade for the best growth and flowering effect. The different varieties of mountain laurel grow in compacted soil, making them appropriate for planting near foundations.