Each mountain laurel flower is a tiny, spring-loaded machine.
The ten anthers sit tucked into pockets in the cup-shaped petals; [1a] when a bee lands, the bent filaments snap free and dust it with pollen. [1b] In late spring the evergreen shrub covers itself in clusters of these bell-shaped flowers, marked inside with purple. [1c]
Mountain laurel is a broadleaf evergreen in the blueberry family, [1d] native to eastern North America in rocky woods, mountain slopes, balds and acidic forests. [1e] Linnaeus named the genus for Peter Kalm, a Swedish botanist who explored eastern North America in the 1740s. [1f] It is Connecticut’s state flower, and Highstead in Redding, Connecticut, keeps a comprehensive collection of the species and serves as the international registration authority for Kalmia cultivar names. [2a, 3]
Grow it in partial shade in cool, moist, acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil; [1g] it dislikes heavy clay and wet ground. [1h] Mulch keeps its roots cool. [1i] Next year’s flowers form on old growth, so deadhead and prune lightly right after bloom. [1j, 1k] The plant is poisonous and highly flammable, so keep it out of the space immediately around a house. [1l]
