Keepsake Mountain Laurel

Spectacular shrubs are always welcome in the garden, and they don’t have to be huge plants to be eye-catching and appealing. Glorious in bloom in one thing, but what a plant looks like the rest of the year is vital too. The perfect bush will be attractive every day, as well as putting on a wonderful display during its flowering season. We put a lot of work into tracking down plants that fit this description, because we know just how valuable and worthwhile they are to our customers. You’ll understand, then, why we got excited about this wonderful bush when we had the opportunity to add it to our catalogue. The Keepsake Kalmia is gorgeous, yet it’s a compact, 4 to 5 foot tall bush that fits well into smaller gardens. It’s definitely a dual-purpose plant, because the glossy leaves and rounded form keep it attractive all year round, while the blooming season is simply wonderful. The rich red coloring of the blooms is enhanced by the white detailing on them, and this charmer wins hearts wherever it is seen – it has everything.

Growing the Keepsake Kalmia

Size and Appearance

The Keepsake Kalmia grows into a mounded bush, reaching 4 or 5 feet tall, with a similar spread. At that size it’s perfect for the middle of larger beds or the back of smaller ones, or for tucking into a corner anywhere. The foliage is always attractive and the leaves are 2 or 3 inches long, smooth ovals with a glossy, dark-green surface. They cluster densely on the branches, which are many, keeping even mature plants full and attractive.

By early winter you will see curious clusters of tiny red stems growing at the ends of every branch. These look like clenched fingers, and slowly, through winter and early spring, they develop into large clusters of unique, dark pink buds which are as attractive as many flowers, and very showy. Each one looks like a fluted cone or some exotic piece of porcelain sculpture. As they mature each bud develops a white end. In late May, continuing into June, these buds open into large, 1-inch diameter flowers that look like 5-sided bowls. They are dark pink, with a fine white line outlining the edge and a star-like cluster of white stamens in the center – a wonderful miniature art-work just like some vintage keepsake.

Using the Keepsake Kalmia in Your Garden

Because it has such attractive foliage and bushy form, you can use the Keepsake Kalmia as an evergreen in foundation planting, or at the back of beds. Use it beneath large trees, or in a woodland garden behind azaleas and rhododendrons. It is always lovely, wherever you grow it.

Hardiness

You can grow this plant everywhere from cool, northern zone 5 to northern Florida or Oregon, in zone 9.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The Keepsake Kalmia is the perfect shrub for those partially-shaded spots where many shrubs don’t flower well. It grows best with some morning sun followed by afternoon shade, and also thrives on the north side of buildings, in the summer shadow, and beneath open deciduous trees in light full shade. Avoid areas shaded by large evergreens, which are usually too dark. This plant needs acid soil, with a pH of no more than 6.0, and preferably below 5.5. The soil should be moist but well-drained, so avoid places with heavy clay, and lighten the soil with acid-free organic material. Rich but sandy soils are ideal.

Maintenance and Pruning

Even deer don’t bother with the Keepsake Kalmia, and neither do pests or diseases. Keep young plants well-watered, and established plants do have limited resistance to ordinary summer dry periods. It is best to avoid pruning as much as possible, as this tends to reduce blooming. The only attention needed is to remove the spent flower heads, without removing any leaves, as you do for rhododendrons. This prevents seeding and encourages more blooms for the following year.

History and Origin of the Keepsake Kalmia

The mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is the only species normally grown in gardens from small group of plants, which has only 7 species in it. It grows wild all through the east, except for the hottest and coldest parts, usually in mountain forests or on slopes. There are several natural forms, and one, called fuscata, has a band of brownish-purple around the inside of the flower cup. Although not apparent in the variety called ‘Keepsake’, it was the source of the dark flower color, and explains the band of white around the edge. This unique plant was created by the world-authority on Kalmia, Richard A. Jaynes, who was a professional geneticist and breeder at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. Before leaving and setting up his own nursery, he bred many new forms, using unusual plants collected in the wild. ‘Keepsake’ was found among seedlings from a cross done in 1983, and after study and trials it was released into the waiting arms of nurseries and gardeners in 1997.

Buying the Keepsake Kalmia at the Tree Center

If you haven’t been growing kalmia, you have been missing out on great beauty in your garden. The Keepsake Kalmia is a perfect plant to start with, or to add to your existing collection, but order now, because our stock is very limited.