Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants
A comprehensive database of Tennessee native plants
Mountain Laurel
Mountain LaurelKalmia latifoliaFull sun to light shade; moderately wet to moderately dry moisture level; does best in rich soil but will grow in gravelly and sandy soils, loamy sands, loams, silt loams, clay loams and peats but not heavy clay; requires strongly to moderately acid pH.7-15 feet height by 7-15 feet spread; blooms in May; white or pale pink flowers; fruits are little spherical seed capsules.Growth Rate: SlowMaintenance: Suffers from occasional diseases and insect problems including leaf spots, blight, borers, scale, white fly and lace bugs. Shallow root system needs a thin layer of mulch to keep roots cool and hold moisture. Needs a humid environment. Requires attention to cultural details to do well.Propagation: Difficult from cuttings; moderately easy from seed.Native Region: Highland Rim and East TennesseeEvergreen shrub that is one of our finest, flowering native shrubs. Forms a large, rounded shape often with beautiful gnarled and twisted trunks. Very showy and pleasantly perfumed blossoms resemble an upside down umbrella Exquisite planted en masse and goes well with rhododendrons and azaleas. Tolerates a wide range of light levels from full sun to full shade but flowers best with some sun plus needs some shade in the afternoon. All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans; foliage is poisonous to hoofed browsers. Very low wildlife value. Cultivars available.shrub;sun;wet;loam shrub;sun;wet;sand shrub;sun;wet;rocky shrub;sun;medium;loam shrub;sun;medium;sand shrub;sun;medium;rocky shrub;sun;dry;loam shrub;sun;dry;sand shrub;sun;dry;rocky shrub;sun/shade;wet;loam shrub;sun/shade;wet;sand shrub;sun/shade;wet;rocky shrub;sun/shade;medium;loam shrub;sun/shade;medium;sand shrub;sun/shade;medium;rocky shrub;sun/shade;dry;loam shrub;sun/shade;dry;sand shrub;sun/shade;dry;rocky shrub;shade;wet;loam shrub;shade;wet;sand shrub;shade;wet;rocky shrub;shade;medium;loam shrub;shade;medium;sand shrub;shade;medium;rocky shrub;shade;dry;loam shrub;shade;dry;sand shrub;shade;dry;rocky |
 Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org  Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org  Photo Courtesy of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/ |
Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants 
My sister lives in Knoxville, TN. She would like to plant some mountain laurels. Can you tell me where to buy some plants?
You got me to doing a little research which was very informative. I called 3 large garden centers in Knoxville. None of them have any Mountain Laurel, and there is probably a good reason for that. One location said they stopped carrying it because it does not grow well in the Knoxville area. One location said they are looking for a supplier but haven’t found one. Your sister may want to re-think this particular choice of a shrub unless she has a very unique yard and just the right microhabitat for it. Mountain laurels are not easy to grow and are very particular about the right site. I hope this helps. If you do want to continue to look for one, you may need to mail order or go to a large supplier in another city like Grow Wild.