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
- 1–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- wet
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- May, June
- Bloom colors
- white, pink
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~33 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- border, rain garden
- Native states
- CT, MA, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WI, WV
Related native plants
More Kalmia species
- Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
- Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)
- Western Bog Laurel (Kalmia microphylla)