More on Mountain Laurel

I noted a couple of years ago that I like mountain laurel, a native plant that dwells in part shade and likes slopes near water.  It's mountain laurel bloom time again: actually, it's getting toward the end.  The last Sunday in April may have been the peak for the Georgia piedmont, although in higher elevations they'll probably be blooming another couple of weeks.  Below are pictures of some white ones, although I also saw pink when I was in a park in late April.

Apparently it's not edible to many (if any) animals, including deer, but it (and rhododendron) is sometimes known as buck laurel, because deer will often hide in thickets of it: it keeps its leaves here in Georgia, and presumably does farther north, as well.

Other than providing some ornamentation, it may not do much.  However, sometimes nice flowers are enough.

Native Azaleas

Azaleas are well-known in the South.  They're acid-loving plants that enjoy a bit of shade, and can be had in a wide array of colors--including white, pink, red, purple, and orange.  Less well-known are native azaleas, which thrive in the understory in southern hardwood forests.

Named cultivars have been developed; the only one I have seen in the wild is the Piedmont.  It's a pale pink and blooms early.  Native azaleas are tall and relatively spindly compared to their compact shrubby counterparts; they're deciduous versus evergreen.

"Lilacs Don't Grow in Georgia..."

I have heard that numerous times, most recently from someone in the garden department at a retail outlet here.  Many varieties of the traditional northern-planted lilac, Syringa vulgaris, apparently need more chilling hours than north Georgia typically delivers.  However, there are low-chill varieties available.  As I have written before, I have one.  The only catch is that I'm not sure anymore what it is.  I got three: two Lavender Lady and one Blue Skies.  I gave one away (probably one of the LLs) and an oaf with the phone company almost immediately killed another by over-spraying glyphosate.  I think what I have at this point is the other LL.  I think Blue Skies bought it courtesy of AT&T.

Whatever the plant is, it has bloomed reliably every year (when the deer haven't eaten the buds or a late frost hasn't killed them as they were about to open).  Two problems with lilacs are commonly cited:  lilac borers and powdery mildew.  I have never had any problem with powdery mildew but I did have a lilac borer one time kill a major branch.

LL is a Descanso hybrid, one of several developed in southern California.  An article in Sunset magazine describes a few others.

My lilac has endured but not really thrived.  There have been a lot of drought summers since it was planted, and it has done well to survive.  It isn't much taller now than it was in the picture in the link referenced at the top of the post, which was probably shot 5+ years ago.  It has remained a small shrub.

It blooms every year in March and finishes up by about the first week of April.  It is a little ahead of Miss Kim, S. patula, which blooms in mid-April.  Miss Kim has a different scent that is still nice (albeit heavier and more cloying than the other lilac) and the flowers are much smaller.  My Miss Kims have bloomed pretty much every year, too, although they can be zapped by a late frost, as well.  I had one break apart in tropical-storm-force winds, so I pulled it out and hauled it to an inert landfill.  I now have only two left.  They grow to be about seven feet high.

Lilacs are a very fragrant early to mid-spring flower.  They come just before native azaleas and about a month before gardenias.  I was introduced to them first in Denver, but later when I lived in the Midwest.  It was those memories that made me want to try them here.  I'm glad I did.

Mountain Laurel

Here's another native plant:  Mountain laurel.  The blooming season in Georgia is over--it's late April/early May in the near-foothills, and probably mid-to late May in the mountains.  They bloom later than native azaleas, but are otherwise similar in many respects.  However, they aren't rhododendrons.  The Latin name is Kalmia latifolia.  They inhabit the same kinds of spaces as native azaleas.  I see them mostly on slopes and often near water; they exist in semi-shaded areas (sometimes the shade can be substantial).  The blooms have no scent.  Unlike native azaleas, they are evergreen--keeping their leaves through the winter.

They're uncommon in nurseries, but a few improved cultivars exist.  One person at a nursery told me they were difficult to transplant.  I got some one time from a native plant nursery in NC, but they died in my suburban yard by the wood line during one of the long dry summers (despite getting supplemental water).  As far as I know, they're just ornamental, though some animals may browse them.  They're nice.

I have a few back in the woods near the river at the rural place.  I see them in the woods at the various places I run and mountain bike--again, usually on slopes, often near streams.

Rose Campion and Violets

Long ago, someone planted rose campion in the yard.  It is a biennial flowering plant; the first year it sprouts and grows close to the ground.  The second year, it sends up stalks, blooms, then dies.

I have it cropping up everywhere, including in the middle of the yard.  It's very effective at seeding itself.  From my perspective, it has some advantages:

1)  The flowers are pretty nice and it will bloom to some degree for much of the summer.  The picture was taken on May 5 last year and it bloomed into August.

2)  It thrives in conditions of utter neglect (this is its most important attribute).  It survived for years and spread with no care whatsoever, and last summer / fall in Georgia was seriously dry (almost no rain for weeks on end).  It did fine.

Another flower that is only around for a short time is the violet.  They are native to Georgia.  In early spring they bloom.  This picture was taken about March 15.   The flowers are only around for a couple of weeks, however, though the leaves persist.

I notice them mostly in areas with filtered sun or shade, though they may grow in areas that get more sun.  As natives, they also grow with no TLC and so are much appreciated.