There was a similar question a few weeks ago and it was answered on the link below.

I've found that Mountain Laurels will put out new growth whenever it is pruned during the growing season. I've never tried to calculate the right time to prune to keep it from blocking the side walk and the mailbox. I just do it when it needs it. It never seems to resent the pruning and bushes out fairly quickly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning Mountain Laurel ...

We trimmed our mountauin laurel after it bloomed. It hasgrown and extra 2 to 3 feet since. The thing that has us baffled is it has put out some type of extra bloom or growth. The new growth looks like the shape of moose antlers or a stag horn fern. They are extensions of the branch alomost the same as new blooms. Could you eexplain what this growth is.
Thanks

The only different kind of growth I have are the buds for next years blooms. They are thin brown scaly looking things that stick out at the end of the branches, but I don't think they look like stag horn fern or moose antlers. I'm mystified. Can you take a picture?

I too have the "stag horn" looking things on my tree. It's only 4 years old, but I don't remember having these things on it before. I don't know if it has anything to do with it, but my tree didn't bloom this year.

Well, you'll have blooms next year because if the 'stag horn' looking things look like this they are the buds :-)

What we're talking about (staghorn like feature) is different than your photo. I had a lot of the new growth (like your picture) on my tree this year.
I took a photo of the odd growth and was going to upload it here, but after reading instructions, I just gave up, overwhelmed by the process. I guess I'm getting as old as my kids say I am! If you can give me specific instructions on how to upload it I will.
I'm still curious...

I never could figure out how to post pictures with the instructions GW gives. Plus the pictures are really small when you post them that way.

Most of us use an online photo storage site like Photobucket.com. Just open an account; it's free. Upload your picture, save it, and then click the HTML code (third one down) under the photo; this automatically copies it.

Paste the code into the Garden Web message box and when you preview the message the photo has 'magically' appeared. Click submit and we can all see it.

I'm very curious to see to growth you and the other poster mentioned. If you need further clarification about Photobucket let us know.

Thank you so much for the help posting a picture!! I really appreciate it!
So, here goes.....

Wow - interesting! I think that's a Siamese-septuplet, very misshapen, flower bud which is going to make one terrific bunch of flowers. I don't know what would cause that, but watch it and let us know next spring.

Anyone else seen this?

Mine are doing the same thing. I have little experience with Mountain Laurel, last year I pruned off these parts that flower the following year. As for the antler shapes, I was also looking for an answer and ended up here. I wonder if the extreme heat or drought might have something to do with it?

I hope those with the wide misshapen Texas mountain laurel flower buds will see this and let us know what the blooms turned out to look like. Pictures would be especially nice.

I hope those with the wide misshapen Texas mountain laurel flower buds will see this and let us know what the blooms turned out to look like. Pictures would be especially nice.

I have a night blooming jasmine that puts out a branch or two every year that has that interesting very flat shape. It blooms as well as the other limbs.

Back to Texas Mountain Laurels: I did prune mine in summer 2010 to remove the leggy falling over limbs. It has a much better shape, now, and is blooming profusely for the first time is years. Mine does not get much sun and usually has only a couple of small blooms. I wonder if the drought helped it. But I know much of its root zone was watered by my neighbor's sprinkler system (it's almost on the property line), and they didn't change their watering habits.

The staghorn growth is called fasciation, an anomaly that Mountain Laurels seem especially susceptible to. Here's en explanation:

http://www.wildflower.org/mobile/expert/show.php?id=8841

Here is a link that might be useful: Fasciation of Mountain Laurel

NolaCherie, thanks for the fascinating information! ;-)

Fascination it is,

Has anyone observed whether blooms occur on the 'fascinated' buds and what they look like?

I'm coming out of the dark for this. Gardening is truly amazing, lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Fascinating bloom

Wow Jolana! Welcome back! You are the world's best finder of fascinating facts! This time it's literal ... LOL

Fond thanks for finding the foto!

Hi Roselee, thanks.
Literally! LOL The nice link NolaCherie supplied has the fascinated bluebonnet that I would love to see

There she is....................now that Jolana is back, we can have ALL our questions answered..........boy, have we missed you.

You silly girls, I wish I knew just a pinch of what you two know.
The first time I saw this, no one could tell me about it and it was long before digital cameras and internet for all, lol