Kalmia latifolia 'BAY STATE'

Honestly, we are nuts about kalmias – mountain laurels. Not very well known, these mid-sized shrubs deserve more attention as they belong to the most beautiful flowering evergreen shrubs of our climate. They come from south-eastern USA and the Asian mountains where they grow under taller trees. There are many cultivars combining all sorts of red, pink and burgundy shades with white, all of them beautiful, all of them very hardy. The best display is when half of the bloom cluster is still in buds which mostly have a different colour than the flowers themselves.

Bay State is a soft pink flowering variety of mountain laurel, bred and introduced by an American breeder of ericaceous plants Elinor Clarke in 1989. She named it after the nickname of her home state Massachusetts. Its flower buds are just a tone darker than opened flowers so the whole inflorescence appears solid pink. Leaves are evergreen, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, leathery, dark green, and glossy. The plant grows at a medium growth rate to an upright shrub of almost equal height and spread of about 1.5 m.

For a happy life it MUST HAVE acidic soil (add plenty of peat). Do not dig a deep hole but a wide one. Plant it in light, well drained soil that has to be well mulched to keep the surface roots moist at all times. Full sun is best for profuse flowering. Fertilize in spring and early autumn with rhododendron fertilizers. Use water solutions or slow-release fertilizers that will not burn the delicate surface roots. Fully hardy to -34 °C (USDA zone 4) and suitable for outdoor pots all year round.

Last update 13-02-2023