This is PA's state flower. We have some larger nurseries who sell mature b&b shrubs (I think Styer's is one that may have mature b&b kalmias). There is an old one next to my mother's neighbor's house growing against their sunporch, which has been growing in pretty deep shade for decades, with a little afternoon sun more recently when the cedar near it fell over during a big snow storm and was removed. It had a main branch off the trunk that was about 10ft tall and the shrub blooms profusely every year. The new owner of the house recently sawed down the largest part of it that was right against the porch and left only one large branch off the main trunk. That branch had curved down over the years seeking the light and is now growing upright somewhat. This is what it looked like a few years ago before being severely pruned: Closeup of the branch that was eventually removed: I almost died when I saw what the neighbor did with the clear-cut pruning on it, thinking he was going to take it up completely, since he pretty much removed almost every single shrub in the front and replaced with [gag] grass... And that and an old rhodie looked like they were next. I think my mother got to him just in time though... He's around my age and she started "mom-ing" him. LOL I don't think he realized what he had! I know that other ericaceous shrubs do well with rejuvenation pruning but the kalmias are so slow-growing that who knows... This one does have a massive root system though, so we'll see.

The mixup is perfectly natural since Rhododendron maximum is also called great laurel, great rhododendron, rhododendron ashleyi, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron, big rhododendron, late rhododendron, summer rhododendron, bigleaf laurel, deertongue laurel, rose tree, rose bay, and bayis as well as mountain laurel. R. maximum is prevalent in the Appalachian Mountains, especially in the Poconos. They also have a lot of mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. The mountain laurel blooms in early June while the rhododendron blooms in early July. The mountain laurel tends to grow in drier areas, even mountain tops. The rhododendron loves to line the edges of streams and highways. About the only place in Pennsylvania that R. maximum doesn't grow wild is the northern tier counties of McKean, Potter, Tioga, and Bradford; the western counties of Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, and Washington; and the southeaster counties of Lebanon and Delaware. The other 57 counties have natural stands of R. maximum. Kalmia latifolia is even more widespread in Pennsylvania. Native stands are found in all counties except Crawford and Mercer in the west and Montour in central PA. Rarefind Nursery in Jackson, NJ, has two cultivars of R. maximum: R. maximum R. maximum "Curly Leaf Maximum" Rarefind also has lots of Kalmia latifolia cultivars. Some of the most unusual are: K. latifolia 'Firecracker' K. latifolia 'Galaxy' [yes it really is a Kalmia] K. latifolia 'Sarah' K. latifolia 'Snowdrift' Here is a link that might be useful: Rarefind Nursery in NJ

mayland, since you were so kind to post the list for me, here is a list with the scientific names (only the natives, there are a few non-natives that I removed from the list below) - and some of these I could not be sure based on the common name: Anise, Florida Illicium floridanum Anise, Yellow - Illicum parviflorum Ash, Green - Fraxinus pennsylvanica Ash, White - Fraxinus americana Aster, Woods Pink, Woods Purple Aster, Climbing - Ampelaster carolinianus Aster, Yellow Stokesia - Stokesia laevis Azalea, Native spp. Rhododendron spp. Basswood - Tilia americana Beards Tongue Husker Red - Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' Beautyberry, American Callicarpa americana Bee Balm, Jacob Cline Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline Beech, American Fagus grandifolia Black Eyed Susan Goldstrum/Herbstonne - Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica Blazing Star Liatris sp. Buckeye, Bottlebrush - Aesculus parviflora Buckeye, Painted - Aesculus sylvatica Buckeye, Red - Aesculus pavia Buckeye, Yellow - Aesculus flava Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis Carolina Buckthorn - Frangula caroliniana Catalpa - Catalpa bignonioides (southern form) Cedar, Atlantic White - Chamaecyparis thyoides Chokeberry, Red - Photinia pyrifolia Clethra, Ruby Spice Clethra alnifolia Ruby Spice Coneflower- Purple and Pale Purple - Echinacea purpurea Coneflower, Glossy leaf - ? Cross Vine, Tangerine Beauty - Bignonia capreolata Tangerine Beauty Cypress, Bald - Taxodium distichum Cypress, Pond - Taxodium ascendens Doghobble/ Leucothoe ? could be Leucothoe or Agarista Doghobble/ Leucothoe Dwarf - ? Dogwood Cherokee Princess - Cornus florida 'Cherokee Princess'. Eastern Mayhaw - Crataegus aestivalis (a hawthorn) Elderberry, American Sambucus nigra . ssp. canadensis False Blue Indigo - Baptisia australis Fern, Christmas - Polystichum acrostichoides Fern, Cinnamon - Osmunda cinnamomea Fern, Dixie Wood - Dryopteris x australis (native hybrid) Fern, Southern River - ? Filbert, American - Corylus americana Fothergilla, Mt. Airy - Fothergilla Mount Airy (native hybrid) Fringetree/Grancey Gray Beard Chionanthus virginicus Ginger, Wild and Callaway Hexastylis arifolia and Hexastylis shuttleworthii 'Callaway' Goldenrod Solidago sp. Gordonia/ Loblolly Bay - Gordonia lasianthus Hawthorn, Parsley - Crataegus marshallii Hearts-a-bustin - Euonymus americana Hibiscus, Swamp Hibiscus coccineus (perhaps) Hickory, Mockernut - Carya tomentosa Hickory, Pignut - Carya glabra Holly, American Carolina No.2 Ilex opaca Holly, Apollo (male) deciduous holly (native/japanese hybrid) Holly, Sparkleberry (female) - deciduous holly (native/japanese hybrid) Holly, Dahoon (female) Ilex cassine Holly, Dwarf Yaupon Ilex vomitoria (various dwarf cultivars) Holly, Savannah Ilex Savannah (native hybrid) Hophornbeam, American - Ostrya virginiana Hoptree - Ptelea trifoliata Hydrangea Annabelle Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle Hydrangea, Climbing - ? (several plants have this common name, could be Decumaria barbara) Hydrangea, Oak Leaf Hydrangea quercifolia Jacobs Ladder perhaps Polemonium reptans (if it is the native one) Joe-pye Weed - Eupatorium purpureum Magnolia, Ash Magnolia ashei Magnolia, Bigleaf Magnolia macrophylla Magnolia, Bigleaf Hybrid Magnolia, Pyramid Magnolia pyramidata Magnolia, Sweetbay Magnolia virginiana Magnolia, Umbrella Magnolia tripetala Maple, Red-leaf Maple Acer rubrum Maple, Chalkbark Acer leucoderme Maple, Red Autumn Blaze - Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze (native hybrid) Maple, Red October Glory - Acer rubrum 'October Glory' Milkweed, Swamp Asclepias incarnata Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia Musclewood/ Hornbeam - Carpinus caroliniana Oak, Laurel - Quercus laurifolia Oak, Live - Quercus virginiana Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra Oak, Post - Quercus stellata Oak, White - Quercus alba Oats, Upland River - Chasmanthium latifolium Partridgeberry Mitchella repens Passion Vine, Yellow Passiflora lutea Pawpaw Asimina triloba Persimmon - Diospyros virginiana Pipe Vine, Woolly Dutchmans - Aristolochia tomentosa Redbud Cercis canadensis Rhododendron spp. Sassafras Sassafras albidum Sedum Sedum ternatum (perhaps) Serviceberry Coles Select Amelanchier x grandiflora `Cole's Select' Silverbell, Savannah River Halesia (not sure which kind) Silverbell, Big-flowered - Halesia (not sure which kind) Smoketree, American Cotinus obovatus Solomon's Seal, False - Maianthemum racemosum Solomon's Seal, Variegated (not native) Sourwood Oxydendron arboreum Spicebush Lindera benzoin Spiderwort, Danielle hopefully Tradescantia virginiana Stonecrop sedum, perhaps Sedum ternatum? Sugarberry - Celtis laevigata Sunflower, Marcs Apollo - Helianthus Sunflower, Swamp Helianthus angustifolius Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus Sweetshrub, Athens Calycanthus floridus Athens Sycamore - Platanus occidentalis Titi - Cyrilla racemiflora (perhaps) Verbena some are native, some arent Viburnum, spp. Virginia Sweetspire Henrys Garnet Itea virginica Henrys Garnet Walnut, Black Juglans nigra Waxmyrtle, Regular and Dwarf Morella cerifera Wichhazel, Common - Hamamelis virginiana Yarrow Oertels Rose - Achillea millefolium Yellowwood - Cladrastis kentukea

Since this is in a snow dump zone . . . You are out of luck for evergreens against the house where the snow drops. I would plant your evergreens at least 10 feet from the house so that they don't get broken by the snow dump. If they are large, plant more like 15-20 feet from the house. In that kind of circumstance, planting any evergreen with which I am familiar as well as many deciduous shrubs within the zone where ice and snow will be landing will be an exercise in frustration since they will get mashed and broken whenever snow rockets down off the roof. In this area at my house I have planted caning shrubs such as spirea and Hydrangea arborescens, both of which can be cut back to the ground if needed in spring and within a month or so will be a couple of feet high again and will bloom that summer at their regular size. You can also plant large perennials such as some of the larger Baptisias since they will die back to the ground and not be harmed. Farther out, away from the range of the snow dump I have plants that won't easily recover from damage that would be caused when the roof lets loose of its snow load but do fine with snow from the clouds. Thuja/arborvitae does well here if it has a single stem; split stems tend to split under a wet snow load or freezing rain. I have Sunkist and Techny which I expect will take a fair time to exceed 15', so I consider them large shrubs/small trees. Spruces come in a range of sizes and speed of growth. I have Picea pungens Fat Albert which seems to grow a bit slower than the straight species, but will eventually get too large and need to be removed. There are plenty more that the folks on the conifer forum could recommend. Some of the hardier, small-leafed rhododendrons such as PJM and Olga Mezitt (sometimes just labeled Olga) look good in winter. Their leaves curl when it's really cold (single digits and below) but they don't suffer foliage damage here, even when it gets down into the double-digit negative temperatures; mine have grown relatively quickly to 6'-8' but have now pretty much settled at that height. PJM has mahogany winter foliage and Olga has olive winter foliage so they make a nice contrast with other evergreens. I am assuming that this area will get at least a half day of good light. Other than Mt. Laurels/Kalmia latifolia and hemlocks (not recommended because of the wooly adelgids as GG48 mentioned) there aren't a whole lot of shade loving options that are evergreen.