When I first purchased the Carousel Mountain Laurel, I had it in the front of my house which gets the afternoon sun and our trees were not yet big enough to provide any shade.  This spot was a big mistake because Mountain Laurel needs part sun to shade.  Since I moved it two summers ago to the shady side of the house, it is finally doing well.  Look at those beautiful pink flowers!  No wonder it is the state flower of Pennsylvania.
Once the flowers die, I usually prune back the old flower and any dead stems.  It is an evergreen which means it won’t lose its green leaves in the winter.  The leaves grow up to 4 inches long.
While the average mature size for this plant is listed as 8 feet high and wide, this plant does not grow fast. Â In fact, I will probably be 100 years old by the time it gets that big!
This plant is a  Zone 4 meaning it tolerates cold temperatures down to -30 degrees F.
Since it is an acid loving plant, I feed it an organic plant food called Holly-tone by Epsoma in the Spring and Fall.
