Mountain Laurel, 'Croft Carpet'
Kalmia latifolia 'Croft Carpet'
Pickup currently unavailable at Aiken Nursery
Most mountain laurels are shrubs with presence, upright and woody and faintly aristocratic. 'Croft Carpet' flips the script. This rare, prostrate selection of Kalmia latifolia stays low and spreads into a dense evergreen mat, delivering the understory finish that designers chase in shade gardens: lush, deliberate, and quietly polished. A specimen at the JC Raulston Arboretum measured only about one foot tall while spreading many times as wide.
In late spring and early summer, 'Croft Carpet' scatters the ground-hugging canopy with rounded clusters of soft, cup-shaped flowers, white to pink and freckled with rose inside, exactly the intricate blooms that make mountain laurel a native icon. Like every Kalmia, the flowers hide a bit of botanical theater: ten stamens sit under tension in small pockets of the corolla and spring forward to dust visiting insects with pollen the moment a bee trips them.
The genus Kalmia was named by Linnaeus for the botanist Pehr Kalm, one of the early plant explorers of eastern North America, and latifolia means broad-leaved. In the wild, mountain laurel forms evergreen thickets along woodland slopes and edges wherever soils run naturally acidic. 'Croft Carpet' takes that woodland heritage and turns the habit sideways, offering a way to bring year-round structure to places where turf fails and most shrubs feel too bulky. You can read more in the Woodlanders Guide to Kalmias.
One caution belongs with all this charm. Every green part of mountain laurel, along with the pollen and any honey from the flowers, contains grayanotoxins and is poisonous to livestock, wildlife, and people, so 'Croft Carpet' is grown as an ornamental and pollinator groundcover, never a medicinal or edible plant. In the garden, use this low laurel as a carpet layer beneath high pines and oaks, as a ribbon stitching together boulders and paths, or as an evergreen slope stabilizer, a modern native alternative to pachysandra or ivy with far more character. The toxic foliage keeps deer at bay as a welcome bonus.
- Hardiness
- USDA Zones 5–9
- Sun
- Full Sun, Part Shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, Acid
- Mature size
- Height 1–2 Feet · Spread 6–10 Feet
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Seasonality
- Evergreen
White to pink cups with rose spotting, late spring to early summer
From rooting to shipping, our top priority is ensuring you receive healthy, thriving plants for your garden’s success.
Because most of our plants are grown from rooted cuttings — alongside seed, air layering, and grafting chosen for each variety — you receive a stronger, true-to-type plant that establishes quickly in your garden.
Raised on organic soil blends and eco-friendly pest management — never harsh chemicals — your plant arrives healthy for your garden, your family, and the pollinators they feed.
Every purchase gives back. We donate to the Aiken Arboretum and support local wildlife conservation, so growing your garden helps protect the wider ecosystem too.
All our plant material is carefully propagated, grown, and nurtured at our humble nursery in Aiken, South Carolina.
Your plant arrives carefully packed and ready to settle in. Unpack them promptly, give them a day or two to acclimate, then plant following the notes we include — that’s all it takes. Clear care guidance comes with every order, so success is the easy part.
What to expect upon delivery
All our plants are sold in 1-gallon sizes, though the height of each plant can vary depending on its growth rate and seasonality, typically ranging from 1/2 to 2.5 feet.
Each plant is carefully packaged with its roots enclosed in a secure plastic bag containing moist soil, forming a compact root ball. To ensure safe transport, the box is padded with recycled newspaper, providing both stability and eco-friendly protection from weather during shipping.
What is your return policy?
Review our full return policy information on our SHIPPING AND RETURNS POLICY page.
What payment methods can I use?
We offer 35 different payment methods including major providers like Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, American Express and Diners as well as many different local payment methods including Klarna, iDEAL, AliPay, Sofort, giropay, and many more.
Can I make changes to my order after it’s been placed?
At Woodlanders, we strive to fulfill orders as quickly as possible. Therefore, we can only accommodate changes to your order within the first 24 hours after it has been placed. These changes include adding or removing products and modifying the delivery address. If you need to make any changes or if there has been a mistake with your order information, please reach out to us promptly via our CONTACT page with your order number for the quickest resolution.
Your satisfaction is our priority, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.