Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Kalmia latifolia 'Carousel'
Guaranteed to arrive healthy. details →
Carousel opens soft pink buds into white flowers banded with intricate cinnamon-purple markings inside each cup, detailed enough that they look hand-painted. This Richard Jaynes introduction from Connecticut is a selection of the native Kalmia latifolia, growing 8 to 10 feet tall and wide in part shade, hardy from Zone 5 through Zone 8.
Bloom comes in late May. The crimped, geometric buds hold for a week or more before breaking, so the shrub carries both stages at once.
Burgundy stems set off dark glossy foliage that looks good the whole year, and the habit is fast-growing, dense, and upright, which makes it usable as an informal evergreen hedge or screen rather than only as a specimen.
Leaf spot resistance is better than most mountain laurels, so the foliage stays clean through humid summers. It wants acidic, moist, well-drained soil and struggles in heavy clay or alkaline ground. The roots sit shallow, so mulch matters more than fertilizer. Deer leave it alone.
Height 8'- 10' Spread 8'- 10'
USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8
Lowest Temperatures -20°F to -10°F
Part shade - 4 to 6 hours of direct sun per day, mostly before midday
AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV
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