Kalmia latifolia f. fuscata Freckles - Mountain Laurel

Little known to gardeners, Kalmia latifolia Freckles or Mountain Laurel is a small wonder. This evergreen shrub bears splendid pink buds that then open to chocolate brown flowers, grouped together in 10cm clusters.

Originating from the eastern United States and Canada, Kalmia is a small, hardy shrub, slow in growth, with a bushy habit and rounded form which reaches 2 to 3m (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) in diameter in our gardens.  It can, in its native form, reach up to 8-10m (26 ft 2 in-32 ft 10 in) in height.

Its shiny green, lanceolate foliage is evergreen. As buds, its candy pink flowers open to chocolate brown blooms.  They are gathered on a terminal corymb and bloom over a short period between May and June.

Kalmia Freckles grows in acidic, humus-rich, free draining soil. It likes partial shade and tolerates sun in a mild temperate climate (avoid full sun in hot regions), it also tolerates slight sea breezes. Plant it in a cool place and water well in the summer.  Plant in the company of rhododendrons, camellias and Enkianthus.

Beware, its foliage, flowers and fruits are toxic to animals.

Kalmia is a genus dedicated to Piehr Kalm, a Swedish botanist of the 18th century, he notably published a famous detailed study on the natural history of North America in his book "Travels into North-America".