Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a flowering broadleaf evergreen shrub with a multistemmed growth habit. It has beautiful spring blooms, and its elliptical, glossy deep-green leaves (resembling those of rhododendrons) and gnarled stems make it attractive in all seasons. This shade-loving shrub produces clusters of rose, pink, or white flowers with purple markings in late May to early June. If the flowers are not deadheaded, nondescript brown fruits will appear. Many different cultivars are available that offer various sizes and bloom colors.
Mountain laurel is a relatively slow-growing shrub that grows dense and round, adding about one foot per year. While mountain laurel is particular about its soil needs, this plant is easy to grow in the right environment. It is a good flowering shrub for mass plantings in shady shrub borders, woodland gardens, or foundation plantings. It partners well with rhododendrons and azaleas.
Mountain laurel is native to the eastern United States, from New England south to the Florida panhandle and west to southern Indiana down to Louisiana.
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a beautiful flowering evergreen shrub native to the eastern United States. With its glossy foliage and showy spring blooms, it’s a prized ornamental plant. But purchasing mature specimens can be costly. Luckily, with some patience you can grow mountain laurel from seed at home.
Here is a complete step-by-step guide to successfully growing mountain laurel from seed:
Gathering and Preparing Seeds
The first step is collecting fresh mountain laurel seeds in early fall when the seed pods ripen and split open.
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Identify seed pods that have turned brown and dry. Pinch them open to check for plump, viable seeds inside.
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Collect pods into paper bags and allow them to further dry and split open naturally This releases the small winged seeds.
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Shake the bags well to separate seeds from pod debris. Pick out any unsplit pods, bits of leaves or dirt.
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Store the cleaned seeds in an airtight container in the refrigerator until planting time.
Before sowing, mountain laurel seeds need scarification and stratification to break dormancy:
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Scarify seeds by gently scratching the outer seed coat with sandpaper. Soak in water overnight. This softens the seed coat so moisture can penetrate.
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For stratification, seal seeds in a plastic bag with damp peat moss or vermiculite. Store at 40°F for 3-4 months. This cold exposure mimics winter conditions outdoors.
When to Plant Mountain Laurel Seeds
Mountain laurel seeds require light as well as cold treatment to trigger germination. You can plant seeds:
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Outdoors in late fall or early winter to expose them to natural winter conditions.
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Indoors in winter after providing cold stratification in the refrigerator first.
How to Plant Mountain Laurel Seeds
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Outdoors – Choose a site with morning sun and afternoon shade. Loosen soil and mix in peat moss or leaf mold. Sow seeds on the surface in late fall, and cover with a thin mulch layer.
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Indoors – Sow stratified seeds in containers filled with sandy potting mix Cover lightly and mist gently to avoid washing away Place outdoors in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse for the winter.
The seeds need temperatures of at least 40°F for 3 months to break dormancy
Caring for Seedlings
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Seeds typically begin germinating after 12-16 weeks of cold exposure as temperatures warm in spring.
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Keep seeds moist but not saturated as they germinate. Light misting is sufficient.
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Once seedlings emerge, move containers to a sunny sheltered spot outdoors. Protect from frost and wind which can damage tender new growth.
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Thin seedlings to the strongest 3-4 per pot. Provide high humidity, shade, and frequent misting as they establish.
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Slowly transition seedlings to more sun over 2-3 weeks. Water whenever the potting mix dries out.
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After a year when plants have developed a sturdy root system, transplant outdoors in fall or the following spring after hardening off.
Transplanting Mountain Laurel
When moving seedlings into your garden:
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Select a site with dappled shade and acidic, organic soil.
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Prepare a planting hole larger than the root ball, mixing in peat moss.
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Carefully separate and transplant seedlings at the same depth as in the container.
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Water thoroughly after planting and mulch. Mist leaves daily the first week.
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Continue watering for 2 years until fully established.
Troubleshooting Problems
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Seeds not germinating – Ensure proper scarification and stratification. Sow fresh seeds.
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Leggy, weak growth – Gradually increase sunlight, pinch back tips.
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Leaf scorch – Move to more shade, increase watering and misting.
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Failure to thrive after transplant – Amend soil, mulch, water deeply during drought.
Growing beautiful mountain laurels from seed takes time and care. But the satisfaction of propagating these woodland beauties yourself makes it worthwhile. Follow the proper steps for collecting, preparing, sowing, and caring for seeds. With patience you can enjoy lovely mountain laurel shrubs for years to come.
When to Sow Mountain Laurel Seeds
Once you have harvested seeds, they should be sown almost immediately outdoors to allow the cold experience. Alternatively, you can sow them in containers and place in the refrigerator or simply chill seeds in a closed bag and plant in spring. The seeds need to experience temperatures of at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 C.) for 3 months. When temperatures warm to at least 74 Fahrenheit (24 C.), germination can occur. Growing mountain laurel from seed also requires light for germination as well as average moisture. Seeds are surface sown to allow for the light requirement.
Mountain Laurel Care
Here are the main care requirements for growing mountain laurel:
- Plant mountain laurel shrubs in the spring, after any danger of frost has passed, to early summer in cool, moist soil that is well-drained and acidic.
- Space shrubs four to six feet apart and avoid windy areas.
- Prefers partial shade but will tolerate full sun.
- Make sure the shrubs crown (the point where its trunk meets its roots) is not buried as it can suffer from rot and your shrub will likely die.
- Remove flower clusters immediately after they have finished blooming.
- Prune lightly after blooming to help keep shrubs full and bushy.
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Handling Seed Pods for Growing Mountain Laurels
FAQ
How long does it take for mountain laurel seeds to sprout?
Jill Nokes, author of “How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest”, recommends: “Pretreated seeds will germinate within two weeks in a greenhouse or outdoors after the soil has warmed”. She also suggests accommodating the long initial root with a longer container, as well as utilizing a well-draining media.
How long does it take to grow laurel from seed?
Seeds: collect ripe berries from a mature cherry laurel plant and remove the fleshy pulp to reveal the hard seed inside. Plant the seeds in pots or trays filled with free-draining potting mix and keep them in a sheltered spot. Germination can take several months, so be patient.
How do you germinate laurel seeds?
Soak the seeds in water overnight, then plant them 1-inch deep into 4-inch pots filled with a good potting soil mix. They’ll sprout almost immediately, and by the end of their first year, they should be 8 or 10 inches tall.
Is mountain laurel easy to grow?
Mountain laurel grows best in dappled shade in moist, acidic soil with plenty of drainage. It grows about foot a year but becomes a large shrub at maturity depending on where it is situated. I hope my new laurels will thrive in a slightly moist, slightly woodsy area of my backyard that gets dappled sun.
How do you grow mountain laurel?
A fine addition to woodland gardens and native plant gardens. Mountain Laurels are easy to grow in a moist but well-drained acidic soil of average fertility and part shade. They don’t like a constantly wet or dry soil. Provide supplemental water during periods of summer drought to maintain a moist soil, but not waterlogged.
How long does it take for mountain laurel to grow?
Mountain laurel seedlings grow slowly the first two years. Cuttings from juvenile trees may root. Since S. secundiflorais a slow growing plant, most specimen sized shrubs are made commercially available by digging them from the wild, and then balling and burlapping.
Can you grow a Texas mountain laurel from seed?
Texas mountain laurel does not propagate well from cuttings. However, if you’re patient, you can grow a Texas mountain laurel from seed. Seeds that fall from the plant can take years to germinate, as they have extremely hard shells. But a few tricks may provide faster results, if you’d like to grow some seedlings for transplant into the garden.