Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Kalmia latifolia 'Freckles'
  • RHS AGM
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

mountain laurel 'Freckles'

A bushy evergreen shrub 1.5-1.8m high with lance-shaped, glossy dark green leaves. From late spring to midsummer it produces large dome-shaped flowerheads of distinctively crimped cup-shaped pale pink flowers ringed with small red-purple spots just inside the rim

Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metres
Time to ultimate height
5–10 years
Ultimate spread
2.5–4 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Pink Green
Summer Pink Green
Autumn Green
Winter Green
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H6
Botanical details
Family
Ericaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises): Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus

Kalmia are evergreen shrubs with simple, leathery leaves and racemes or corymbs of bowl-shaped flowers in spring or summer

Name status

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained acidic soil in partial shade or in sun where the soil remains reliably moist; mulch in spring with leaf mould or well-rotted pine needles

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in midsummer

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Hedging and screens
Pruning

Pruning group 8

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus in gardens where it is present but insufficient data to determine degree of susceptibility

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.