An evergreen shrub that hails from the Mediterranean region, bay laurels are slightly temperamental when it comes to growing conditions. However, with the ideal conditions, these plants are welcome additions to any home garden. Other notable characteristics of bay laurels include:. Can grow in a range from full sun to partial shade. They need at least four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day. Regular watering schedule for the first six months.
Once established, rainwater should be sufficient. Should not need any extra fertilizer unless your entire lawn and garden have problems and needs regular fertilizing. Although bay laurels can tolerate brief dips in temperature, they thrive in warm climates and grow best in USDA hardiness zones If you live in a colder climate, plant your bay laurel in a container so you can move it inside during the winter.
You can plant bay laurels in a variety of well-draining soils. Incorporating sand or grit can help improve the drainage in your soil. If you are planting your bay laurel in the ground, allow several feet of space around it. If planting in a container, choose one that is at least five gallons. Bay laurels like to be kept in moist soil, but be careful not to overwater your plant. Overwatering can cause root rot and irreversible damage to bay laurels. Keep your bay laurel in well-draining soil, and only water the plant when the top one to two inches of soil are dry.
Bay laurels may need to be watered more frequently during the summer months, as they are not drought tolerant. During the growing season, feed your bay laurel with organic compost or nitrogen-rich fertilizer about once every two weeks for optimal growth.
As an ornamental tree, bay laurels can be pruned to almost any shape — spherical or pyramid shapes being the most popular. Young plants with few branches should be pruned lightly.
Prune your mature bay laurel annually in late winter to keep it neat and to maintain the desired shape. Remove damaged branches and overgrown stems with sharp, clean shears. Bay laurels can also be trained to grow as shrubs by allowing the suckers to develop into their own branches. To do this, prune back the stem lengths and keep the height low to encourage the plant to spread wider rather than growing upward. Bay laurels are largely resistant to pests and diseases, although the sap in the tree does attract a few insects, namely aphids and psyllids.
If your bay laurel is affected by either of these bugs, you can treat the infestation with neem oil. Another common disease is anthracnose, which can be cured by pruning away affected leaves and foliage. To harvest, pick as many leaves as needed from mature plants. Bay leaves can be harvested all year round. If you are harvesting bay leaves from an outdoor plant, be sure to rinse or wipe them off before using to remove any dirt or insects. Cooking is the most common use for bay leaves.
Adding bay leaves to soups, stews, broths, sauces, and casseroles can give those dishes a subtle bitter or minty flavor that keeps them from being too heavy. Bay leaves can also be used in medicines and essential oils. Bay laurels do well in full-sun locations, or with some partial shade.
Native to Mediterranean regions, this plant is accustomed to living in bright sunlight, so try to replicate this as much as you can at home. If your bay laurel is planted in the ground, you should place it in a spot that receives plenty of sun, but which also offers some protection against winds, such as near to a fence or wall.
Even better? The Bay Laurel thrives in a container, too. Basically, this hardy evergreen shrub has the strength to match its good looks. Plus, it's known for its unique, refreshing fragrance and glossy, dark-green leaves that will add interest to your porch, patio, balcony or landscape.
During the summer months, it produces small black fruit that attracts birds for a show of graceful wildlife. It's probably best known, however, as a favorite spice. Chances are that you have a spaghetti recipe that includes bay leaves. Fresh or dried Bay Laurel leaves can be used as a cooking spice and are often added to traditional Mediterranean dishes such as soups, stews and fish dishes. Their mild flavor enhances the taste of vegetables, meat, and poultry, with dried leaves retaining their flavor for several months.
But the best part is that we've planted and grown our Bay Laurels, right here at our nursery, from day one. That means you get proven performance in ease once your plant arrives to your door. You get home-grown fragrance, greenery and more from our Bay Laurels Planting: When planting your Bay Laurel, find a location that offers full to partial sun 4 to 8 hours of sunlight per day.
This tree can adapt to a wide variety of soil type as long as it drains well. When you're ready to plant, dig a hole that's three times the width of the root ball and slightly shallower than the root ball. Hold the tree straight as you begin to backfill the site tamping down the soil as you go. Back fill the hole, apply water to settle the soil and remove the air pockets. When selecting a container for your bay laurel, be sure it has plenty of holes in the bottom as drainage is essential.
The pot size should be 2 times the size of the one it initially came in. Watering: Stick your finger into the potting soil down to a depth of 2 inches and feel around for any moisture. It is common to see the shape of a laurel crown on trophies.
In early Greek and Roman times, crowns were created with stems of the plant to crown the athletes and rulers. The links to products below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you if you purchase through an affiliate link. Would you like a reminder of this post for how to grow bay laurel? Just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest. Admin note: this post for growing bay laurel first appeared on the blog in December of I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable growing tips card, and a video for you to enjoy.
Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Thanks a lot for the very informative post on how to grow bay leaf. I am from the Philippines and hope to be successful in planting this herb. I have a 1 healthy Bay Laurel in a clay pot. After 6 years, It has 3 baby plants sprouting out of the soil.
I never saw "berries or flowers", indicating that it is a female. I wonder if the root balls propagates plants from underneath. Can anyone answer this question for me? Can I save it? How best to proceed? We live in northeastern Switzerland. The new leaves on my bay leaf plant are large and pretty but are thin, not thick and dark like usual.
What could be the problem or is that normal in the spring. It is in a large pot indoors. Thank you. Instead of grinding the spices, even when dried, the leaves are used whole in recipes. If you enjoy cooking stews and casseroles, your recipe may call for a bouquet garni.
Dried bay leaves are often used in Mediterranean cooking and in many recipes for soups and stews. Did you know that you can grow it in your back yard?
Find out how on The Gardening Cook. Size of bay leaf plants Bay Laurel can be grown indoors in pots, and outdoors as shrubs and also as trees. Sunlight and moisture conditions for bay laurel The plant grows best in full sun to partial shade.
The laurel tree is a tree of great importance to we humans, it symbolizes greatness, uniqueness, and achievement. This tree is believed to have the ability to make things work out for the best in life and they are also known to possess the potential to give insights to our lives in various ways.
Late spring or early summer is the best time to trim most hedges including laurel and leylandii hedges. You can prune a laurel hedge with secateurs - which is not as labour-intensive as it sounds — or with a hedgetrimmer. Depending on the type of tree, you can maintain a tree's branch diameter through regular pruning practices. Plant smart. Often people plant saplings in locations without considering the tree's future growth.
Top it. Choose a dwarf or miniature variety. Kill the tree. The plant will then shoot out from lower buds and gradually thicken up over time. As it gets bigger you can trim your tree twice during each growing season, first in spring and again in July or August.
Bay is not tough, so don't prune in the autumn , which would encourage new growth at just the wrong time. Pleaching or plashing is a technique of interweaving living and dead branches through a hedge for stock control.
Trees are planted in lines, the branches are woven together to strengthen and fill any weak spots until the hedge thickens. Pleach also means weaving of thin, whippy stems of trees to form a basketry effect. Yes, the laurel leaf and the bay leaf are the same thing. Bay leaves come from an ancient Mediterranean tree called the bay laurel tree or Laurus nobilis, from the family Lauraceae.
Besides bay leaves , laurel leaves , or bay laurel , they are also sometimes called sweet bay or true laurel. Bay leaves , especially dried bay leaves , have a hard stem that feels uncomfortable when eaten.
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