Texas Mountain Laurel, 2–4 ft

In March it smells exactly like grape soda and people stop their trucks in the road. Evergreen, glossy, native to the Hill Country, and effectively immortal once established: full sun, alkaline rock, no supplemental water, no interest in your irrigation schedule. It grows slowly, which is precisely why a four-foot one costs what it costs.

What actually ships

• 3-Gallon: 2 to 3 ft tall, multi-stem or single-stem (specify in order notes)
• 7-Gallon: 3 to 4 ft tall, established caliper, container-grown
• Root form: Container-grown, root ball intact. This species hates root disturbance and we will not ship it bare-root
• Bloom timeline: Expect first bloom 2 to 4 years after planting from a 3-gallon. A 3-gallon plant is very unlikely to bloom its first spring and we are not going to imply otherwise
• Shipped as: Upright in a corrugated carton, soil bagged at the collar

Mature size

• Height: 15 to 25 ft
• Spread: 10 to 15 ft
• Growth rate: Slow, 6 to 12 in per year
• Bloom: Wisteria-like purple clusters, March, strong grape-soda fragrance

Where it grows

• USDA zones: 7 to 10
• Texas planting window: November 1 to February 28. Best planted fully dormant
• Native status: True Texas native. Dermatophyllum secundiflorum, native to the Edwards Plateau, Trans-Pecos and into Mexico
• Soil: Alkaline, rocky, sharply drained. Wet feet kill it faster than anything else
• Sun: Full sun
• Water: Almost none once established

Texas care notes

• Toxicity: The red seeds are toxic if chewed and swallowed. The hard coat means intact seeds usually pass through, but do not plant this where toddlers or seed-chewing dogs are unsupervised
• Genista caterpillar: A light-green caterpillar defoliates it in late spring. Bt handles it. It is cosmetic
• Do not: Do not plant it in a lawn irrigation zone. That is the number one way these die

Ship window and your cancellation right

Ships during the dormant season. Orders ship between November 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027. This species resents being moved while it is pushing growth, so we hold it until it is fully dormant.

If we cannot ship inside that window we will email you before it closes with a revised date and a one-click cancel link. If the new date is 30 days or less past the original, you can wait or cancel, your choice. If we need more than 30 days, your order is cancelled and refunded automatically unless you tell us to hold it. Refunds go back to your original card within 7 business days. This is the FTC Mail Order Rule (16 CFR Part 435) and we would rather you use it than be surprised.

The spec is the promise

Measure your tree against the "What actually ships" numbers above on the day it arrives. If it misses the spec, photograph it and we refund you in full and you keep the tree. We are not going to send you a stick and a photograph of somebody else's oak.

About this image: our product photography is an illustrative rendering of a mature, well-grown specimen of this species. It is not a photograph of the individual plant you will receive. The written "What actually ships" spec above is the binding description of your tree.