Bog Laurel
Kalmia polifolia
Bog laurel is a slender northern evergreen laurel of sphagnum bogs and fens, with showy rose-pink spring flowers above blue-green leaves. Deer-resistant but toxic; a gem for cold acidic wetlands.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–2 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- wet
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Bloom
- May, June
- Bloom colors
- pink, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~33 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- foundation, groundcover, container, rain garden, erosion control
- Native states
- AK, CA, CT, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, PA, VT, WA, WI