Yes. I had one that was 18" high and was in nursery planter for few months, then planted in ground and it didnt like the spot or something part of it dried up it reduced to 8inch height and been sitting at 12inch height for 2 years. Its supposed to be a hardy plant but very slow grower. Seen 6 foot tall ones in my neighborhood so not sure why its so slow. Maybe it needs full sun mine is part morning sun.
Also they can get some caterpillers once they are big enough to be noticed by the bug.

Here is a link that might be useful: checkout this thread about mtn laurel

Texas Mt. Laurel is never very fast growing, but most of the very badly stunted ones I've seen are victims of overwatering. One that's been in the ground for more than a year shouldn't be watered more often than once every two weeks, even if it is stunted.

Poor drainage can have a similar effect, so you might want to see if there is patchy caliche in your neighborhood. If so, dig a test hole about 18 inches away from the plant, and about 3 feet deep. remove any caliche you find, and replace it with sand.

Good luck!
Kevin : )

Saw 5 gallon, approx. 36" Texas Mountain Laurels at Lowe's today for $19.99. The looked really nice too. Lots of new growth. I stood for the longest time, wondering where I would put one.

Came home without one but now I'm kinda regretting it. I may go back tomorrow and get one.

I am trespassing on the forum from central Texas Mountain Laurel grow wild on my land here and my land is alkaline caliche and limestone rubble. Limestone and caliche is their preferred soil in their native habitat.. They are slow growers at first, and then they get their feet in and they will grow at a quicker rate. I think they are developing their root system first and then they put on growth. When I grow them from seed, one has hardly anything but a root and a tiny sprout for the first year. I never water mine but we do get rain but my land drains very fast. We had 11 inches of rain for a couple of years and the bushes never noticed. They don't mind part shade here. I see them growing as an understory tree but they bloom better if they get some sun. God, that's an obvious statement. Everything blooms better with a little sun.

Just be patient! I have 2 beautiful trees that are full size in 8 years time. One is 8 ft tall and about 6 foot wide and 8 yrs old. The other is 6x6 and is 5 years old. They are thriving on "neglect", so don't overwater them. Both are in full Phoenix sun. My drip system has been turned off for the last 4 years so they are surviving on rainfall. I deep water them every 6 weeks if it hasn't rained. You will get beautiful scented blooms about year 5. I stopped spraying for caterpillars when they became taller than me, also about year 5. At about that time you'll need to decide if you want the look of a tree or a giant shrub. I chose to never prune them, so I have branches and blooms near the ground. ONLY caution is that the seeds are poisonous so be careful if you have toddlers. My favorite tree!

I have three texas mountain laurel plants, that are three years old. They have yet to flower, but this year I notice insects are eating the new growth. What can I put on the plants to keep these insect away.

Sandy

Bacillus thuringiensis solution (BT). You can get it off Amazon and from smaller (non-big-box) nurseries.

I'm in the central valley in California. I got seeds 5 years ago, when travelling through Texas. My soil is sandy and alkaline. The seeds I planted in the ground took a year to sprout, but one-by-one they dried up and died. I also planted a seed in a pot in the house and was able to keep it in a sunny window in the house for 3 years. It got to about 2 feet tall. Last year I transplanted it to a big pot on the patio and this year it's 6 feet tall and appears to have blossoms forming. i'm not sure what to do with it now. It's in a peat pot, so it should transplant OK. I guess plant it in a similar place to the lilacs I have?

Texas does get summertime moisture so I would water the ones if you put them in the ground. It is weird about those larvae that eat them. They do not eat the ones that are on my land naturally but they love the taste one that I bought from Home Depot.

I'm hoping the California insects don't develop a taste for them. So far, so good.

This is very common for TML. They are a very slow growing tree particularly when contrasted with the cost to purchase. Our typical advice to customers that request the trees is: be patient. You might try some Super Thrive (Home Depot) or Moon Juice (Moon Valley Nurseries) to help them along.