Kalmia latifolia 'KEEPSAKE'

Honestly, we are nuts about kalmias – mountain laurels. Not very well known, these mid-sized shrubs deserve more attention as they belong to the most beautiful flowering evergreen shrubs of our climate. They come from south-eastern USA and the Asian mountains where they grow under taller trees. There are many cultivars combining all sorts of red, pink and burgundy shades with white, all of them beautiful, all of them very hardy. The best display is when half of the bloom cluster is still in buds which mostly have a different colour than the flowers themselves.

Keepsake is another mountain laurel variety with dark maroon flowers. It was bred by a specialist kalmia breeder Richard Jaynes from Oregon, USA, in 1983 and registered in 1997. It boasts dark burgundy red flowers with thin white margins. The flowers are yet a little darker than those of Kaleidoscope because their centres are dark, too, while Kaleidoscope has small white eyes in the centre. Leaves are evergreen, narrowly elliptic, leathery, dark green, and glossy. The plant grows at medium growth rate to a shrub of almost equal height and spread of some 1.5m.

For a happy life it MUST HAVE acidic soil (add plenty of peat). Do not dig a deep hole but a wide one. Plant it in light, well drained soil that has to be well mulched to keep the surface roots moist at all times. Full sun is best for profuse flowering. Fertilize in spring and early autumn with rhododendron fertilizers. Use water solutions or slow-release fertilizers that will not burn the delicate surface roots. Fully hardy to -34 °C (USDA zone 4) and suitable for outdoor pots all year round.

Last update 13-01-2022