A favorite selection among Prides Corner employees, and why not? Dense, full, and rounded, ‘Nathan Hale’ has beautiful form in the nursery and in the landscape. Add in foliage that is so glossy and deep green it appears plastic and striking red buds that open to sizeable trusses of sweet pastel pink flowers and you have a plant that should be at the top of everyone’s favorite Kalmia list!

Named by Richard Jaynes after his daughter, this dwarf Kalmia is the first miniature with foliage half the size of all the others, and is unquestionably the best of the small leaved Mountain Laurels. Very compact and slow-growing, ‘Little Linda’ bears buds that are dark red that open into near white flowers in late May and age to an impressive perfect pink. It’s no wonder that this beauty was a 2003 Cary Award winner and its no wonder that it should be a very sought after landscape plant for its ability to be used in smaller landscape spots, its beauty and its ability to perform in sun or shade as a specimen or grouped to form a delicious border planting.

Well-branched with a wide, upright habit. Brilliant red buds open with a broad cinnamon red band which almost fills the white corolla. Late flowering. A vigorous grower with new growth, reddish in color. A Richard Jaynes’ introduction.

This rounded, spreading plant is vigorous and covered with lustrous, green foliage. Buds expand and open in late May with distinctive star shaped white flowers with a splash of burgundy. 

Originally introduced by Connecticut’s Richard Jaynes, this spectacular banded Kalmia will never cease to impress. Fast-growing, dense and upright, ‘Carousel’ features burgundy stems holding dark glossy foliage that impresses all year. Soft pink flower buds open in late May to immaculate clusters of cup-shaped flowers boasting intricate patterns of cinnamon-purple bands painted on a pure white canvas. It’s bloom and form make ‘Carousel’ exquisite in appearance, but it’s functional in the landscape as well with its resistance to leaf spot, easy going personality and sun or shade tolerance. As a woodland native, ‘Carousel’ would make a perfect grouped border planting in dappled shade or an arresting single plant specimen.

Dense, evergreen that flowers best in sun, but tolerates deep shade. Pink flowers are contrasted by rich green foliage with exceptional vigor. Great for screening use or as a specimen. A great plant for naturalizing in groups in semi-shady areas. Great screening plant. Quite showy in bloom. Tolerant of most light conditions.

Miniature in habit and slower growing. Flowers are standard size with light pink buds opening almost pure white. A small wonder. This Richard Jaynes’ introduction is a 2003 Cary Award winner.

Your vision of how other Kalmia look may influence you to envision a much different plant than this radically different Kalmia with blue-green, almost needle-like evergreen foliage that forms a much smaller, low, dense shrub at maturity. Sheep Laurel’s closest match for looks might be a mature Rosemary plant with similar size and texture making it perfect in a small garden or rock garden. This Kalmia produces small rose-pink flowers from June into July that are set off perfectly by its foliage color. One of the hardiest plants in cultivation, it performs best in moist well-drained soils with light shade as its preferred exposure and is a great addition to the native shade garden.

Dense growing and globose, this selection has deep, dark, shiny foliage and a multitude of landscape uses. Great for foundation use or in hedging, this plant is easy to grow and prune.