Kalmia

Pretty, isn’t it?! Mountain Laurel is the official state flower for Pennsylvania, and this is the time to find it breaking into bloom across the Commonwealth. I’ve finally managed to coax a dwarf version to grow in our yard…in morning shade. It’s hardy in zones 4 and 5, so I’m a bit warm for its tastes. Any reshaping or removal of dead branches is done right after the bloomtime, and they don’t need much in the way of extra feeding after they’re established….but keep in mind that they’re on the acid-loving side of things. The nice part is that deer don’t like them, so their evergreen-ness will abide through the winter.

Linnaeus named the shrub after a student of his (Pedr Kalm) found it on a plant-seeking tour of the northern parts of North America and took it back to see if it would grow well in Sweden. Some call it spoon-laurel. The roots, while still green, are soft and easily shaped, but they dry hard and smooth, and the Indians and early settlers made spoons and small dishes out of it.

I grow it so I can show people the curious set-up of the flowers. ..the anthers that hold the pollen are held in the fold of the petal until a visiting insect triggers the spring-action and allows the pollen to be “catapulted” onto its body to carry to another plant.