Bay Laurel

Laurus nobilis

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!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us