Overwintering Bay Trees

Hi All,

I bought two new Bay Trees earlier in the year, I'm just wondering if I should leave them outside for the winter or if I should pop then in the greenhouse? They are in pots out of the wind so shouldn't blow over, but will the frost kill them?
Thanks B

 

I had 2 x beautiful bay trees and left them outside every winter. Then one year it was colder than most winters we have and they died :(

 

You should be able to get away with it, Beckie, as you are fairly south, and if they are against a sheltered wall....

....however, they don't like severe cold. Our old neighbours have two huge bay trees (v popular here in Belgium, and his dad grows them commercially). At the end of every December, he would wheel them into the garage, and bring them out again end April/early May. I suppose a bit like citrus trees? Unlike citrus, they don't need to be kept in the light, so we just put ours on the shelves in the garage. Boy, everything goes into the garage for the winter, including hubby's car (doesn't like the cold, or wet, or heat....)

 

Thanks for your reply @Sian in Belgium . I think I'm going to leave them out for now & if it gets really cold I will pop them in the greenhouse or shed. The biggest problem is the irregular winter, a couple of years ago it was -20 then last year we hardly had a frost, it's bonkers! I do like to see the different seasons but I hate it when it gets really cold, I'm certainly a sunshine girl!

 

Lost all the leaves on our Bay during one of those cold winters, then it came back stronger than ever, but unfortunately for some people in our village, theirs never recovered.

 

Ours died in a really bad winter yet they had been through every other winter since 2001 with no problems.