Laurels Blooming in CT and at Laurel Ridge

Mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia is native to Connecticut and is also the Connecticut state flower.  Since we live at Laurel Ridge in the east central part of the state, we are surrounded by the native blooms at this time of year. 

 

Wild Mountain Laurels

The ridge on which our house was built was cleared of all vegetation for the development so we decided to add some mountain laurel cultivars that we purchased at Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden. This nursery specializes in Kalmia latifolia and the owner has created many cultivars with unusual colors and patterning. We bought 2 year old stock inexpensively several years ago and it has grown steadily here at Laurel Ridge.

 

My husband (and garden man) has to weed whack the area several times during the summer as it is maintained as a meadow by the condominium homeowners association but the bushes someday will be bigger than the grass and wildflowers.

 

Yankee Doodle

 

Raspberry Glow

 

 

Snowdrift is white blossomed and is not doing well

since it was damaged in the blizzard two years ago.

No blooms in sight even this year!

 

 

Sarah is almost red in bud but blossoms lighter.

 

 

Keepsake is burgundy bloomed with white edges.

 

 

 

Peppermint has maroon striped white blossoms.

 

 

I finally got some good photos tonight about 7:30 p.m. We had a cool, bright Canadian air mass today between a rainy day yesterday and another predicted tomorrow. Ironically, my good friend and neighbor just left for Prince Edward Island in Canada yesterday between rainy fronts.  If she had stayed she would feel like she was already at her summer home here in Connecticut today. But wait until tomorrow and Friday and she'll be glad she left!