Bay Tree

I've always wanted tohave a bay tree. But have thought they were too expensive. A shop near to me is sellingthem for�£3.99 but only 6 inches tall.

If I buy one what should I pot it in?Do I bring it indoors for the winter? Thanks folks.

 

You can probably get a larger one than that for �£3.99 and if its only 6 inches tall i would protect it for this winter ..repot it and leave it either in a unheated greenhouse or on a window ledge inside..after the frosts have gone you can find a nice south facing sheltered position for it and then it will take off..mine was slow to start with ..but has grown quite large now..

 

here is some info if you want to keep it in a container...

Container Growing Bay
Bay trees thrive in containers, making them ideal for the patio. They will require an annual trim in the autumn to shape them and a liquid feed throughout the summer. The size of the pot will control the size of the Bay tree - a 30cm (12in) diameter pot will produce a reasonable size tree of about 1.5m (5ft). If a hard frost threatens, move the tree inside to a cool room. Bay trees are very suited to being indoor plants in the winter. Keep them in a cool position that is open to indirect sunlight.

Bay laurel likes to be pot bound and can stay in it's final 30cm (12 in) container for six years or more. After this, repot into a container which is about 5cm (2 in) wider. Ensure that the base of the pot has good drainage (use broken clay pot on the base of the pot) and fill in with normal potting compost.

Feed container grown bay in mid-spring and then more regularly (every fortnight) during the summer growing period. In early spring, remove the top 2.5cm (1 in) of compost and replace it with new compost.

 

Hi frangipangi, and welcome to GC.

I bought a kitchen bay treelet about 15 years ago in Marks and Spencer in Oxford. I can't remember what I paid but I thought it was expensive. Like wildflower's, mine also took a while to grow, but after a couple of years it went quite mad. I now chop off no end of it every year before bringing it into the Wintergarten for the winter. It can only stay outside in the winter in very mild climates,

Once it gets big enough so that you can be generous in giving twigs of it away, it makes a nice gift for when you go to an afternoon coffee or whatever. Just bind some twigs up and put a nice bit of ribbon on it, or even some raffia is pretty. Or use it as greenery in a posy of garden flowers.

 

Using Bay Laurel as a Herb
Bay leaves are used extensively in French, Italian, Spanish and Creole cooking. They are used to flavour soups, stews, shellfish, pickling brines, sauces, marinades, poultry and fish dishes. Always remove the bay leaves from the food before serving, because they are sharp and can cut the mouth and throat. French chefs place bay leaves, parsley and thyme in a little bundle called a bouquet garni that is removed after cooking. Pick bay leaves early in the day and dry quickly, out of sunlight, under weight so they won't curl. Store in an air-tight jar and they will keep their flavour for up to a year.

 

Hi frangipangi,

I have a half standard size growing in a terracotta container on my patio for the past two years.

I haven't paid it much attention and it stays outside all the time and it's still alive and kicking. But I agree with wildflower, as you're thinking of getting a young one, maybe you should offer it protection indoors for the winter.

I hope you do get one. It's useful, smells wonderful, evergreen and easy to care for - what more could you ask for in a plant.

 

Bay is a powerful antiseptic herb, and makes an excellent tonic for your whole system, especially in cold-weather, or post fever, bronchitis, and the likes : Use one small Bay leaf to a coffee cup of boiling water, add a couple of dried orange pieces, cover, and leave to infuse for about 15 mins. Sweeten with a little honey to taste.

 

I was given a small bay tree by a niehbour, it is in a 10 inch pot and dosent seem to hvae grown much at all in the three years we have had it, not 1 meter high yet however it now has two flowers on it.

 

I was given a bay tree by an admirer some ........ years ago, it stood on my kitchen window cill for quite a time, its now about 30 foot high in my garden!

 

I have never had flowers on mine, which is also in a pot and about 1.5 metres tall ... the reason mine is in a pot is I don't want it to be like Waco's!

Perhaps, kaptainzep, you should replant yours into a larger pot or do like Waco and plant it outside and have a tree?

The choice is yours ....

 

Good morning, shney.

Where I lived on the Isle of Wight, in Bonchurch, bay trees just seem to grow wild there and they were huge.

The one I have here was given to me when I was on the IoW as a pot plant only about 10 inches tall. One summer when I was back there my neighbour came over to get some leaves (she had asked before I went away) and knowing nothing about plants took the top off! When I came back, I was horrified as it has stunted the shrub and sent two side shoots from the base. I took advantage of this and plaited the three loosely so now have an unusual shrub!

 

merrymeet all,
i have a bay tree and until last year it was growing quite well. Its in a pot and is about 3ft high but now the leaves have started to go yellow! I know its autumn but does this usually happen or is in need of a feed?
Also there are numerous seedlings of lobelia and violets plus another bedding plant that are growing in the pot since self seeding so you you think they are leaching all the food the bay tree needs?

Don't want to lose it!

 

Sounds like it's becoming pot bound or the growing medium has become exhausted. We had one in a pot (about 15" across) where it grew for about 20 years, though I did trim the roots and renew some of the compost every couple of years or so. We've now planted in the ground in a sheltered corner. Your lobelia and violets will have much shallower roots than the bay so under normal circumstances would have little significant effect.

 

merrymeet Dave,
thankyou for your advice. i only bought it a couple of years ago and the pot size is about 20" across but i will trim the roots and refresh the soil. Can it be done at this time of year?
:confused: