1-3' × 2-4' and spreading. Also known as Lambkill. Wild selection of the straight species.
Clusters of enchanting hot pink ½" bell-shaped blossoms adorn this native shrub in springtime. Slender lance-shaped evergreen leaves are grey-green with a faintly blue waxy bloom when newly emerging and white underneath. A frequent sight from the canoe when we’re out paddling our local ponds in mid-June. As its alias suggests, it may be poisonous to livestock, so don’t plant it near your grazing pasture. However, the birds and butterflies will delight in this plant, which serves as a larval host to the Northern Blue Butterfly and Columbia Silkmoth.
Unlike its showy relative mountain laurel (K. latifolia), this species spreads gradually by underground rhizomes, often forming dense colonies. Prefers full sun to partial shade for best flower sets. The plants will do fine in full shade but will have fewer blooms. Requires acidic soil, but otherwise adaptable to a wide variety of soil types; a good option for less ideal spots like dry eroding banks. Drought tolerant once established. Native to bogs, sand barrens, tundra and open woodlands throughout boreal North America. Zone 2.