Bay Tree (Laurus nobilis) – Evergreen Culinary Herb (2L Pot)

Bay is a hardy evergreen with glossy, aromatic leaves that are picked fresh or dried for the kitchen all year.

This plant stands around 60 to 70cm tall including the pot and is slow growing, so it holds a neat shape with only light clipping. Left in open ground bay reaches 7 to 8 metres and spreads wider than three, but clipping is what keeps a container plant to size, and it takes happily to a ball, a pyramid or a standard stem. Small pale yellow green flowers open in spring and bees work them.

It is happy in full sun or partial shade, stands coastal wind and salt, and needs very little looking after. Water freely in dry spells but let the compost dry a little between waterings, as overwatering is the usual cause of yellow leaves. It is hardy in most of Britain and normally stays outdoors all year, though the leaves scorch brown in a cold drying wind, so move a potted plant to shelter in hard weather. Watch for bay sucker, which thickens and curls the leaf edges.

You can choose a plain nursery pot or one of the planters when you order. The planter is a pot for the tree to stand in and makes no difference to how the plant grows.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Bay, bay laurel or sweet bay
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Up to around 7.5 metres tall by 3 metres across in open ground, easily kept far smaller by clipping in a container
• Growth Habit: Upright, dense evergreen, kept to size by clipping
• Perfect For: Patios, doorsteps, balconies, herb gardens, topiary and a low evergreen hedge
• Foliage: Dark green, glossy, aromatic oval leaves, picked fresh or dried for the kitchen
• Flowering Time: Spring, small pale yellow green flowers that bees work
• Planting Position: Full sun or partial shade. Stands coastal wind and salt, and grows well in a container
• Soil Type: Free draining, in the ground or in a good potting compost
• Hardiness: Hardy in most of Britain and normally left outdoors all year, though the leaves scorch brown in a cold drying wind and a plant in a pot is best moved to shelter in a hard winter
• Maintenance: Low. Water freely in dry spells, feed through spring and summer, clip in late spring to keep its shape and repot every two or three years
• Seasonal Interest: All year round, spring, summer, autumn and winter
• Type: Hardy evergreen shrub or small tree, grown as a culinary herb