06/29/17 14:35 Filed in:
Day Trippin' | ScenicsAs promised, the Mountain Laurel are starting to show their full potential.
One of the most abundant and prolific flowering evergreens in our area, Kalmia latifolia is found throughout the mountains of North Carolina. Its range is from Alabama up the spine of the Appalachains into Maine.
The flowers range from almost white to a medium pink depending on soil conditions and habitat.
Mountain laurel was first recorded in America in 1624, but named in the 18th century after Pehr Kalm who shipped samples to Carl Linnaeus the Swedish botanist.
The Rhododendron are a sight to see when driving the roads around Highlands and Cashiers - don't miss your chance!
06/05/17 09:37 Filed in:
Day Trippin' | What's To Do?In Highlands, it seems like it is always something - something to do, that is!
This weekend the Highlands Motoring Festival comes to Town for 4 big days of cars, food, touring and fun.
From Monte Carlo Night on Thursday to Cars and Coffee on Main Street, Sunday morning, Highlands Motoring Festival brings some of the most coveted, collectable and viewable cars to in the Southeast to Highlands.
Don't miss a single event this weekend: June 8 - 11, 2017
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is one of the most common evergreen shrubs in the mountains of North Carolina.
This years bloom is far more spectacular than we have seen in decades. One visitor commented today that it is "more beautiful than Calloway Gardens when the azaleas are in bloom."
Mountain Laurel is often confused with its larger leafed cousin Rhododendron - of which Rhododendron maxima is our most prolific species locally. It usually blooms in late June and early July.
If you have the chance to come to the mountains in the next week or so, we promise one of the most breath-taking displays of Mountain Laurel in many years.
Of course, you can alway come back for the native Rhododendron too…
