This American Beauties native is a fixture in the landscape in shaded, wooded locations and will be the backbone of shaded areas in your landscape, too. Even better, ‘Pink Charm’ tolerates shallower, drier soils once established allowing it to compete with water grabbing trees while looking great with its shiny deep green foliage, dense, rounded form, and superb spring flower show that starts deep pink in bud and opens to a pleasing yet strong pink color in late May and early June. ‘Pink Charm’ is a great cover source for woodland birds and its flowers provide a wealth of nectar for native bees.

This dependable performer has all the attributes that make people fall in love with Mt. Laurel. Start with deep green, glossy foliage that looks great year round on a vigorous yet dense growing plant. Add in its considerable flower power with loads of deep pink buds that open to light pink with cinnamon banding in late May into mid-June and finish up with a good dash of deer resistance and it’s easy to see why this Kalmia could become one of your favorites.

Dependable and rewarding, ‘Nipmuck’ has everything you want in a Mountain Laurel from deep, dark, shiny foliage, to outstanding dense, round form, to dazzling bloom color. The anticipation will take your breath away as ‘Nipmuck’ sets loads of buds that color deep red in late May and burst into color soon after. Flowers open light pink to almost white with a pink petal back that gives this plant’s ample bloom a two-tone look that’s subtle, yet beautiful. Like all Kalmia, ‘Nipmuck’ thrives in partial to full shade and makes a superb border planting.

Upright, dense and rounded, this evergreen shows twisted, deep green foliage and loads of bright red flower buds that open pink in early to mid-June. Superb for naturalizing in groups as woodland edge border planting. Interesting, showy foliage and eye-turning bloom just before summer begins. Shade tolerant.

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.

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.

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.