Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Mountain laurel is the topic of my upcoming column on native plants in SC Department of Natural Resources magazine called Wildlife. Many people think that this large shrub only grows in the upstate – after all it’s called mountain laurel. But it grows all over the state and actually all over the eastern coast and even inward a few states – even into the panhandle of Florida. So you can probably plant and grow this beautiful native in your yard if you have well drained, acidic soils and light shade. What’s important is to get your plant from stock that was collected locally. Mountain laurels from nurseries in Connecticut are unlikely to be genetically suited for our hot, humid summers. Provenance is the term for knowing where the genetic makeup of the plant for sale came from so you can choose individuals that are adapted to the prevailing conditions.
Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.