I love the leggy asymmetry of straight species Kalmia Latifolia. The varieties they sell in nurseries are unnaturally "perfect." Many mature out as dwarf-size, dense, symmetrical plants. But the wild, straight species grows to be a sizable shrub / small tree. In northern Delaware, they are plentiful on shady wooded hillsides. But I've seem then equally at home in South Jersey on the coastal plain as understory growth in oak / pine forests.
I totally agree, they’re so beautiful with the twisting branches and evergreen foliage, very tropical looking. That’s so cool, they’re an amazing species that adds an evergreen touch to often largely deciduous forests such as this one.
You should go back in winter time where the evergreens stand out. Near my house there is a park with hilsides full of not just monutain laurel but wild rhododendron maximum , which is unusual on the piedmont . (No hemlocks though.) .
That’s a really cool area I wish eastern white pine were more common growing native in ATL area but we do get virgina pine and loblolly a lot which is nice, I’m planning on planting some though
Yeah lots of great pines in ATL, just flew through there and saw endless pine forests from the plane, so cool. The mountains of northern GA are super cool too and have lots of conifers, it’s a temperate rainforest up there.
