shrub
Mountain laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 4–9, Mountain laurel is a slow-growing evergreen shrub. Expect 5–10 ft of height and 5–10 ft of spread; our lists space it 7 ft apart. It does best in part sun to shade with average water. Expect pink and white flowers in May to June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the anchor role: the one larger plant that anchors the back of a bigger bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Texas and the South-Central states, the Desert Southwest and the Mountain West, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Kalmia latifolia
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 9
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Needs acidic, well-drained soil; fails in heavy clay or alkaline soil.
- Mature size
- 5–10 ft tall × 5–10 ft wide
- Spacing
- 7 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- May–Jun · pink and white
- Roles in a bed
- Anchor, Structure
- Styles
- natural, classic
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Mountain laurel is on the ASPCA toxic list (grayanotoxins); can be serious.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $35–$60 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Deadhead after bloom; prune lightly only.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Mountain laurel, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle'Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'shrub · zones 3–9
- Canadian wild gingerAsarum canadensegroundcover · zones 3–8
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoidesfern · zones 3–9
- Fringed bleeding heartDicentra eximiaperennial · zones 3–9
- GoatsbeardAruncus dioicusperennial · zones 3–7
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Mountain laurel: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants