Garden Showpiece

• Mountain laurel can grow into a large, robust shrub that reaches 5 to 12 feet in height. As the plant grows older, it opens up more to reveal a textured bark. The flowers of the mountain laurel are among the most beautiful of any flowering evergreen tree. The buds vary from a whitish color to a pink rose color with purple markings. The plant blooms between the months of May and June.
  
  

Sunbathing Laurel

• To properly grow your mountain laurel in Georgia, locate the plant in an area of the garden that gets partial shade to full sun. The plant is often advertised as being a shade friendly plant. While it indeed can handle more shade and will still survive, the plant, however, will be smaller and bloom less frequently. Avoid placing the plant in areas that are susceptible to wind.
  
  

Soil Preparation

• When growing mountain laurel in your garden, provide the plant a soil that is cool, moist and acidic. Organic soil works best for mountain laurel.
  
  

Caveats

• Mountain laurel can be susceptible to pests and diseases such as lace bug and leaf spot. Leaf spot can be particularly damaging in heavily shaded areas.
  
  If the soil the plant is in has a high pH, the mountain laurel will struggle to grow.
  
  If you have pets, you may not want to grow mountain laurel as the leaves are toxic and can even be poisonous to livestock. Otherwise, make sure your pets can't get to the mountain laurel.