While they are still but wee youngins,’ keep the shrubs well-watered, and the soil moist and acidic. When planting, try not to plant them too deeply and be sure the point where the shrub’s trunk meets its roots is not buried, as this could cause the plant to suffer from rot (which would most likely lead to its death). Do be sure to avoid excessively windy areas, mainly if you live in the north. Mountain laurels prefer partial shade but will also tolerate full sun. Space the shrubs 4 to 6 feet apart when planting. Also, pay close attention to the pH of the soil it should be quite acidic. Plant them in cool soil that is both moist and well-draining. You can plant your new shrubs from spring (after all danger of frost has safely passed) through summer. Mountain laurel is overall a great, beautiful blooming shrub, perfect for mass plantings in a shady spot in your garden or foundation plantings. While they can be a tad particular about its soil needs, we won’t hold that against them. The plant itself is relatively easy to grow in most climates, particularly throughout North America. These shade lovers produce lovely clusters of pink or white flowers with stunning purple markings throughout the blooms. This variety, too, grows 10 feet tall and wide. The ‘Peppermint’ mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia’ Peppermint’ has a rare white flower with dark red streaks coursing through the bloom to its edges. This variety grows 10 feet tall and wide. The ‘Olympic Fire’ mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia’ Olympic Fire’ has reddish-pink buds that will open to a deeper pink bloom. The ‘Minuet’ mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia ‘Minuet’ is another dwarf variety that has light pink buds and pink flowers with a bold red ring around the flower. It has large pink buds that open to nearly white flowers and grows 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The Elf mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia ‘Elf’ was the first dwarf mountain laurel introduced. There are many different species of mountain laurel. When young Jefferson was just 23 years old, he made a note of the laurel that grows abundantly throughout Virginia in his only published book, “Notes on the State of Virginia.” Jefferson listed the plant as an ornamental native called “ivy with us.” The neighboring town of Ivy, Virginia, therefore, honors the shrub. ![]() This shrub also has connections to a certain Thomas Jefferson. Because of its dense, gnarly thickets, many foresters and lumbermen in Pennsylvania actually curse the shrub with expressions such as “ankle breaker” and “ankle twister.” Governor Gifford Pinchot officially dubbed the mountain laurel as Pennsylvania’s state flower, for it grows in nearly all of the state’s sixty-seven counties. However, it is also the state flower of both Pennsylvania and Connecticut.Ĭonnecticut designated the mountain laurel as its state flower in 1907 and Pennsylvania in 1933. So we know the mountain laurel gets its name from Swedish naturalist Peter Kalm who commonly referred to the shrub as the “spoon tree” for its previous use as material for spoons and trowels (tools used for gardening) by the Native Americans. Apollo then takes a branch from the tree, keeping it as a symbol of his love. In Greek mythology, specifically the story of Apollo (god of light, medicine, music, art, and archery) and Daphne, Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree as she tries to flee from the lovestruck Apollo. The Greeks would present a wreath of laurel to poets, athletes, and war heroes as a mark of great achievement. ![]() The mountain laurel is also associated with ambition. It would seem beauty isn’t always everything, not even for the mountain laurel! The plant will irritate the skin and eyes if touched, and can also cause nausea and vomiting in some people. The mountain laurel, known to be a representation of treachery, are actually extremely poisonous to both humans and animals. You’ll find mountain laurels along mountain roads, but no worries, you don’t need a mountain to grow them. From North to South, traveling through Louisiana to Indiana, eastward to Maine, and back down to Florida. The mountain laurel is said to be a symbol of perseverance, most likely due to its substantial geographical range. However, his biggest legacy was his book, Travels in North America, which stimulated natural history in Sweden and provided Europeans with an accurate and wide-ranging account of North American conditions and customs. He ended up becoming one of the outstanding utilitarian Linnaean botanists, with one genus (the mountain laurel) and 90 species of plants named after him. Kalm set sail from Sweden to North America to collect information on economically useful plants that could be viable in Scandinavia in 1748. The genus itself received its name as an honor to a Swedish botanist and naturalist named Pehr Kalm. Alright, Mountain Laurel, what kind of symbolism do you have in store for us?
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