Every now and then, you just need a mountain fix and if you're like me, that's most days. The cool, damp air rolling off a ridge, the sweet smell of something blooming through the tree canopy, the way the light filters differently when you're standing beneath a stand of hemlocks and firs. Most of us don’t have the luxury of a weekend trip to the Blue Ridge every time the summer heat cranks up, but here’s a little secret, some of those plants that make the mountains feel like the mountains will grow right here.
In fact, one of them already does much closer than you'd think.
Plant names are links to the NC State Extension Plant Toolbox for pictures and more info.
Mountain Laurel — Kalmia latifolia
If you’ve ever hiked the Bluff Loop Trail at Medoc Mountain State Park in Halifax County, you may have caught yourself doing a double-take at the shrubs clinging to the steep banks along Little Fishing Creek. That’s mountain laurel, and having seen it firsthand on that trail, it’s hard not to stop and wonder what a plant so closely associated with the Blue Ridge is doing this far east. As it turns out, it’s unusual this far east in the state. The geology near the fall line gives mountain laurel exactly what it’s looking for, rocky, acidic soils and the cooler, shadier microclimate of a creek bluff. It’s one of those moments in horticulture where nature reminds you that plant distributions aren’t always tidy lines on a map. Or as a former horticulture professor described it, "plants don't read books.”
Mountain laurel is a broadleaf, evergreen shrub or small tree in the blueberry family (Ericaceae), native to eastern North America, found in a variety of habitats including open rocky or sandy woods, meadows, mountain slopes, acidic forests, and woodland margins. Those leathery, dark green leaves hold color all year, and the late-spring flower show is something special. Flowers appear in terminal clusters 4 to 6 inches in diameter, typically covering the shrub in late April through June. Each cup-shaped flower ranges in color from rose to white with purple-red markings inside the corolla, and the plant has a remarkable pollination mechanism. When a bee triggers one of the 10 anthers, the filament springs out of its pocket and dusts the bee with pollen. Once triggered, the flower is done with pollination.
Mountain laurel tolerates a wide range of light conditions, from full sun to full shade, but grows best in partial shade and in cool, moist, acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soils. Mulching helps retain moisture and keep the root zone cool. In our Nash County summers, afternoon shade is appreciated, and a well-mulched root zone is worth its weight in gold. It won’t be happy in heavy, wet clay, so raised or mounded plantings are worth considering if drainage is an issue. Several cultivars are worth seeking out. ‘Minuet’ is a compact dwarf form growing to just 3 feet, ‘Sarah’ produces red buds that open to rich pink to coral flowers with dotted petals, and ‘Bullseye’ offers a striking pink bloom with dark red-blotched interiors.
Catawba Rhododendron — Rhododendron catawbiense
If mountain laurel is the understated mountain beauty, the Catawba rhododendron is the one that stops traffic. Catawba rhododendron is a large, woody, broadleaf evergreen that often forms dense thickets. It is native to the woodland slopes and ridges of the Appalachian Mountain range. The genus name Rhododendron derives from the Greek words rhodo, meaning rose, and dendron, meaning tree. Those masses of purple-pink blooms along a mountain ridgeline are one of the iconic images of spring in western NC, but you don’t have to drive to see them.
Plant this shrub in full to partial shade in acidic, rich, well-drained but moist soils. The root system is shallow, so annual mulching helps retain moisture and keep soil temperatures even. While it handles morning sun, the plant needs protection from harsh afternoon rays and wind. With a well-chosen site and consistent moisture, Catawba rhododendron performs well in the Piedmont and upper coastal plain. The cultivar ‘Roseum Elegans’ is among the more commonly available, with glossy foliage and lavender-pink late-spring flowers. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, making it a natural fit for pollinator gardens.
Eastern Hemlock — Tsuga canadensis
No list of mountain plants would be complete without the eastern hemlock, the tree that defines the feel of a Blue Ridge gorge, with its soft filtered shade, drooping branch tips, and the sense that you’ve walked into something ancient and cool.
Eastern hemlock is a woody, needled evergreen in the pine family (Pinaceae), native to eastern and central North America. In North Carolina, it is found primarily in the mountains and in a small area of the Piedmont. It grows best in moist but well-drained, somewhat acidic soils in sun to part shade. With good site selection, morning sun, afternoon shade, consistent moisture, and a solid layer of mulch, eastern hemlock can thrive well east of the mountains. It’s a beautiful conical evergreen with drooping branches and tiny cones that makes a lovely specimen tree in the home landscape, with individual trees reaching 40 to 70 feet tall and 25 to 35 feet wide, making dwarf cultivars the more practical choice for most home landscapes. The cultivar ‘Gentsch White’ is a slow-growing compact form to about 4.5 feet, with silver-white needle tips that add year-round interest.
It’s worth knowing that back in the mountains, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) has been present in North Carolina since the mid-1990s and has occupied nearly the entire range of eastern and Carolina hemlock in the state. It’s one of the more heartbreaking pest stories in eastern forest health, a tiny insect that has transformed entire mountain hollows. Ornamental plantings east of those natural stands don’t face the same pressure, but it’s part of why hemlock conservation efforts matter and why having these trees in the home landscape carries a little extra meaning.
Sweetshrub — Calycanthus floridus
Here’s one that many folks grow without ever associating it with the mountains, but sweetshrub, also called Carolina allspice, is a classic of Appalachian woodlands and stream banks. Carolina allspice is an erect to rounded deciduous native shrub in the sweetshrub family (Calycanthaceae), found in the Southeast in shady woodlands and along streambanks. The flowers are a deep burgundy-maroon, unusual in color and structure, and the fragrance they carry, a warm, spicy-fruity scent somewhere between strawberry and cloves, is genuinely one of the better things in the native plant world.
Carolina allspice grows best in average to rich, well-drained soil in anywhere from full sun to deep shade. It prefers some shade in hot summer afternoons and is tolerant of a wide range of soil textures and pH, though it prefers rich loams. It can tolerate brief periods of flooding but struggles in sandy soil and drought conditions. That shade and flooding tolerance makes it a great candidate for a woodland edge or the shadier side of a foundation planting. If you want to branch out from the straight species, NC State’s Dr. Tom Ranney developed the hybrid cultivar ‘Venus,’ which produces magnolia-like white flowers with a fragrance reminiscent of strawberries, melons, and spices.
Native Deciduous Azaleas
This is where things get really fun. The native deciduous azaleas are a different animal from the evergreen types lining every foundation planting in the county, wilder in habit, often intensely fragrant, and with some of the most spectacular flower colors in the eastern flora.
The showiest of the mountain bunch is the flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum). Flame azalea is an upright, woody, deciduous shrub that typically matures to 4 to 8 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide, native primarily to woodland slopes and mountain balds in the Appalachians from Pennsylvania to Georgia. The common name references the resemblance of the upright flower buds to candle flames. The flowers are frequently a bright orange, though they can range into yellow, gold, and red, sometimes all on the same plant. Plant flame azalea in full sun to partial shade with moist, well-drained, acidic, loamy or sandy soil, with protection from afternoon sun. It also brings fall foliage interest and a winter silhouette the evergreen types simply can’t match.
Closer to home in its native range is the southern pinxter azalea (Rhododendron canescens). This large, woody, deciduous shrub is found growing in moist woods, swamp margins, and along streams from North Carolina to Florida and west to Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. It’s one of the more adaptable native azaleas for our area, drought tolerant, with fragrant light pink flowers that attract hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies. Multi-trunked and natural in habit, it looks right at home at a woodland edge or along a stream bank.
And don’t overlook the coastal azalea (Rhododendron atlanticum), which is a native of our own coastal plain region. This compact, deciduous shrub typically matures to 2 to 3 feet tall, is native to coastal plain areas from New Jersey south to Georgia, and is known for its notably potent flower fragrance, a quality that has made it a popular parent in azalea breeding programs. It spreads by underground stolons to form a colony over time and works beautifully in a naturalized area or woodland edge. The showy flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Mountain laurel, Catawba rhododendron, eastern hemlock, sweetshrub, and the native deciduous azaleas all share a common cultural thread, acidic soils, good drainage, organic matter, and some afternoon shade or sun protection. If you’ve got a site that already supports dogwoods, hollies, or azaleas, you’re probably working with the right conditions. If you’re dealing with heavy clay, amending the planting area and planting the root ball slightly high to promote drainage will make a real difference. Acidic, well-drained soil amended with organic matter, afternoon shade, and mulch around the root zone will go a long way.
There's something satisfying about stepping out into your yard on a July afternoon, taking in these mountain beauties, or pausing to catch the scent of sweetshrub in the still air, that faint, cool breeze carrying just enough of the mountains to make the eastern heat and humidity feel a little farther away.
