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.

I'm in the Austin area and I'm looking for a local grower of hearty Texas Mountain Laurels but I have only found one out in Marble Falls. Backbone Valley Nursery (TexasMountainLaurels.com) seems to have a great selection but I don't want to drive out there. Does anyone know of a more local source?

They are probably "Genista" caterpillars. It's a moth, and the caterpillars are unlikely to do permanent damage to the trees. Management: No management may be required on mature plants as the worms rarely consume enough foliage to damage the plant. However, young and/or newly installed plants with a small canopy may need to be protected. Handpicking is an effective control in small gardens. Here is a link that might be useful: Sophora Worms

These are so slow growing, it's often better to have a local nursery order the largest blooming size you can afford. They may hesitate if you're lower than hardiness zone 8, but worth checking with them. You might be able to order direct from Monrovia for delivery to a local nursery, but my experience has found it more dependable to have a willing manager at a local store they supply order it for you. If time is not an issue, seedlings are occasionally offered on ebay or Etsy (hidden among dozens of seed listings); though, these will be 3+ years from blooming depending upon the growing conditions you provide.