Kalmia latifolia 'Tinkerbelle'

how old is it now? maybe just coming into maturity?

Not sure how old it is but I've had it three years. It has flowered reliably every year so far, my other mountain laurels have not been as consistent

fingers crossed it can only get better in the future, maybe your other ones aren't as old, so when they get as old as this one is now, they'll put out similar displays

I think the problem with my other ones have been lack of nutrients and not enough water. Mountain laurels are beautiful shrubs but need pretty precise conditions in order to look their best. They need low pH (4.0-5.0 seems ideal), good drainage and protection from winter wind. I have them planted in a mix of sand, peat moss and pine bark which they really like but it's a mix that doesn't retain water all that well so they need frequent watering in our hot summers. They don't like water from my hose either (hard water) so I have to use rain water or distilled water to water them. They are all starting to look better this year, I think next year I should have more mountain laurel flowers :)

awk! think I'd better leave trying tp grow them till I've learned a bit more; practice on more tolerant plants first!

Don't let all the info scare you away! I try giving them the ideal/perfect conditions because the climate in Michigan can be hard on plants. We have very cold winters and very hot, humid summers without a whole lot of rain. If you can grow rhododendrons, mountain laurels shouldn't be too difficult.

they're on my list, with a question mark after it. I've got rid of more than half of my plants, especially the larger ones that I was having trouble in lifting and shifting, so now I've got some room to move at last, and I want to *plan* something harmonmious rather than fill space haphazardly.