Bay Laurel

Laurus nobilis

Other Names: Sweet Bay

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 8a-11 Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub or Tree

Height at Maturity: 6 to 30′ depending on pruning

Width at Maturity: 5 to 20′ depending on pruning

Spacing: 5-10′ for hedges or privacy screens; 20’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Dense, Pyramidal

Growth Rate: Moderate

Flower Color: Yellow-Green

Flower Size: Small

Flowering Period: March to May

Flower Type:

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Dark Green

Fragrant Foliage: Yes, aromatic

Berries: Only on female plants if pollinated

Berry Color: Purple-black

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Sandy, Silty

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 5.5 – 8 (Acid or Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low to Average depending on whether you prune it to control size

Attracts: Visual Attention, Birds

Resistances: Deer, Disease, Heat, Humidity, Insect, Mildew

Description

Most known for its flavorful and aromatic leaves that are used to add earthy flavor to stews, soups and sauces and for potpourri, the Bay Laurel, also known as Sweet Bay, is an exceptionally versatile ornamental evergreen tree from the Mediterranean. It can be grown outdoors in USDA Zones 8a-11 or indoors as a year round house plant! Though it can slowly grow to 30 feet tall or more in height (when growing outdoors in the ground) and up to 20 feet wide, it responds very well to pruning so can easily be maintained at a height of 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide or so. Plants growing indoors or outdoors in pots can be kept even smaller.

The thick and leathery shiny dark green leaves are densely packed on the branches which make the Bay Laurel a perfect choice as an aromatic screen plant outdoors. Small yellowish flowers appear March to May and stand out quite well against the dark leaves. As your Bay Tree grows taller lower branches can be removed to form a highly attractive evergreen tree. Because it responds so well to pruning it’s a fine candidate for various topiary shapes including cones, columns, pompom, poodle tier and standards.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 5 to 30 feet in height and 6 to 8 feet wide (depending on pruning), the Bay Laurel can be grown outdoors as a specimen, in groupings or as a privacy screen outdoors or can be grown year round as an indoor houseplant.

Suggested Spacing: 5 to 10 feet apart for solid privacy screens and hedges; 20 feet or more apart for space between plants

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a, where Bay Laurel is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

The Bay Laurel is exceptionally easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and full sun to part shade. It grows in a very wide range of soil pH. Four hours or more of direct sunlight per day is suggested for best leaf flavor. Minimal if an maintenance when left to grow natural. Occasional pruning will be necessary to control size.

Helpful Articles

Outdoors:

Plant as you would a Holly Tree

Prune as you would a Holly Tree

Indoors:

Plant in a pot at least 12 inches in rim diameter (larger is better for long term). Use potting mix or quality potting soil to fill the pot within 1 inch of the top. Lining the bottom of the pot with a landscape fabric is suggested to keep the drainage hole from becoming stopped up by roots. Keep pot situated near a sunny window and away from heating and air vents.

Harvesting Leaves

You can pick leaves anytime. Leaves that dry and fall off the tree are still fragrant and usable as well. Annual pruning for size control or shaping purposes is usually done in late winter to early spring. You can prune as much or as little as you like.

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Purchased two 3 gal. plants. One for my wife to use in cooking and another as a gift. The cost of buying bay leaf at the grocers has increased tremendously. The ease of having such a wonderful spice readily on hand is remarkable. Shipped quickly after order and received in great condition due to quality of plants and outstanding packing. I have ordered plants of all types from a number of growers over decades of gardening. Few have come close to giving the satisfaction of this order. It is still Winter, but just by placing the plants near a window new growth was evident in just over a week (before even being repotted). Living in a USDA 7b zone, we are just north of the recommended planting area. We did have an inground plant grow over 10′ tall for over a decade at a past residence. It kept us and many friends with a continual supply of bay leaf. This time we will go the large planter way to ensure success. Kudos Wilson Brothers!——————————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I was hesitant to order Bay Laurel;s online but the 5 I received were beautiful. Shipped with care, had obviously been taken care of, and overall are very healthy———————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

We are so pleased with the Bay Laurel. The packaging was incredible — no damage to the Bay whatsoever. We have ordered from a lot of sites and were sorely disappointed by the packaging – you guys nailed it. The plant is healthy. We are just waiting for the temperatures to rise before planting in a pot outdoors.——————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Ordered the 2 gal. plant and received it in perfect condition. It is currently thriving in a large window in our master bath! I would definitely recommend Wilson Gardens as an on-line plant source!————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG —

I searched for a bay laurel plant online because my great-niece Nicole loves plants, and this was the kind she wanted.
Her mother/my niece had just lost her battle with cancer, and I was unable to make the trip from Tennessee to Florida for the funeral. When I asked Nicole if there was anything special that I could get for her, she said she’d really like “a bay-leaf plant.”
After finding the plant on your Website, I called and talked with your sweet Ms. Pat. She had someone take a picture of (and measure!) the one-gallon and two-gallon sizes, and she sent me the pictures so I could decide which I wanted. I chose the biggest one.
I told Nicole when to expect it, and she was very happy when it arrived in good condition! She’s proud of it and has sent me pictures every week. Thank you SO MUCH for your service! It has meant so much to me that this plant could go where I could not, while fulfilling this special girl’s need.
Bay Laurel (Sweet Bay) – Laurus nobilis – 2 Gallon Pot
I’ve enjoyed looking at all the beautiful plants and trees you showcase, though this is likely a one-time order. Again, thank you for a job well done!———————————————————–Condolences to your neice. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope she enjoys it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I ordered the 2 gallon after reading the reviews. – I was pleased with the size of the plant, and was glad I got the 2 gallon. The bay plant came well packaged and in excellent condition. I have had the bay for a couple of months, and it has filled out beautifully and thriving. I am extremely happy with this purchase.————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I purchased the 2 gallon one and was very pleased to receive a very healthy and vital tree that was packaged superbly and ready to plant.—————————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I received my bay laurel tree two days ago. The tree arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The plant was supported by heavy duty cardboard, folded double and cut out to fit around the pot, then stapled to the outer box sides. The pot itself was packed with filler around the stem of the plant and over the top of the soil, then completely sealed off with wide, clear tape so that no soil and little moisture escaped. The plant arrived well-watered. It is beautiful and spotless. I am pleased with my purchase thus far.————————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

It arrived nice healthy and we potted in a big pot.——————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

My dad always wanted a Bay Leaf tree and after seeing how nice my last purchase was from Wilson Bros I ordered a 2 gal from them. The tree has three thinner branches coming off of a much thicker two rootstocks, appearing like maybe it was two cuttings that became one potted plant. It was fairly heavily pruned for shipping, that being said there are leaves of all sizes and there is well over 100 bay leaves ready to use, so with the 2 gallon you can start picking the big ones before they start to dry and fall off right away. It’s fair to note it’s December when I bought the tree and it is now thriving indoors with my other plants, I expect it to really thrive once Spring comes and it goes into the greenhouse with a bigger pot and new soil. (I’ll update in 2022 with a new photo if it lets me) All in all extremely satisfied with the size and health of the small tree, really happy to have fresh bay leaves, the flavor is zestier than dried. 🙂
In the photo you can see a small leaf on the center stem that has already started to replace one I took the day I got the plant. Given enough water and light (it’s with my peppers under a grow light, but a sunny window will work) the leaves will replace rather quickly.————————————Thanks so much for the photo. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I wanted to let y’all know how happy I am with my purchase. The baby trees arrived in perfect condition, fresh & beautiful! I can’t wait to give one to my sister-in-law for Christmas she’s going to be so excited.
Your customer service is great, I couldn’t have asked for better communication. I’ll definitely look to your company when I want a plant I can’t find anywhere else. Merry Christmas!
Thank you again for being such a wonderful company!————————————–Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you and your sister in law enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Tree arrived packaged very well, and in perfect condition. I repotted and can’t wait to began harvesting from it this coming spring summer.—————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

My bay laurel is lovely but most of all was the packing. I have never received a plant from anywhere that surpassed Wilson Bros. This beautiful plant could not move in the box; it was secured with loving care and traveled many miles to make it to Maine. I am so pleased. Kudos to you Wilson Bros. Thank you.————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I am very happy with the bay Laurel I purchased from Wilson Brothers. The packaging was very well done the plant was very secure. Very healthy plant. Thanks y’all!——————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The Bay arrived well packaged and looking great!——————————–We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

This plant arrived so well packaged
It was clean, healthy, nice and green with good soil. The pot is even clean. I will be using it for cooking. Being from New Orleans, I’ve got to have my spices! We cook authentic food. So I know this bay leaf will be put to great use! Thx Wilson Bros————————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂