Bay laurel

Bay laurel: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Evergreen shrub or small tree of 2–8 m, densely branched; often clipped into shape.

Leaf

Alternate, 5–10 cm, narrowly oval, untoothed with a wavy edge, dark green and leathery; gives off a strong, herby scent as soon as it is crushed.

Bark

Smooth, dark grey to greenish.

Flower

Small, yellowish-white flowers in clusters in April; separate male and female plants.

Fruit

Glossy black berries (1 cm) on female plants.

Difference from cherry laurel

Cherry laurel has much bigger leaves with small glands at the base, which smell of almonds when crushed. Poisonous!

Flowering: March–April · Harvest and fruit: January–December · Pruning: May–June and August

Identify by feature: Long, narrow leaves · Evergreen leaves · Black berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus: much bigger leaves with small glands at the base, which smell of almonds when crushed. Poisonous! Difference from cherry laurel

Why grow it?

• Fresh bay leaves for the kitchen, all year round.
• Evergreen and easy to shape: as a ball, pyramid, standard or hedge.
• Grows in sun and partial shade, in the ground or in a pot.
• Flowers in April with small, yellowish-white flowers for bees and other insects.

Bay laurel: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade, sheltered from cold east winds: against a wall or in a courtyard.
• Well-drained soil; no wet feet in winter.
• In open ground it does best in mild areas: in towns and on the coast. Elsewhere a pot or a very sheltered spot is safer.
• Left to grow freely, allow about 3 m across; as a ball or hedge you can keep it as small as you like.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

6 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

down to -12 °C, protect in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Rosemary: Another Mediterranean kitchen herb for a sunny, sheltered spot, also in a pot.
• Common sage: Grey-green leaves next to the dark foliage of the bay: a herb corner that still looks good in winter.
• Olive tree: Together in pots on a sunny patio: a southern pair that needs the same winter care.

Bay laurel: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (April–May), so that it can root in before winter.
2. Make sure drainage is good: on heavy soil, mix gravel or coarse sand into the planting hole.
3. For a hedge: 2–3 plants per metre, in a sheltered spot.
4. In a pot: a roomy pot with drainage holes and good potting compost; repot every few years in spring.

Care

Watering

In the ground, during dry spells in the first year. In a pot, regularly in summer but without waterlogging; little in winter.

Feeding

In a pot, a little fertiliser now and then from April to August; in the ground, a little compost in spring is enough.

Harvesting

Pick leaves all year round. To dry them, spread them out in an airy place out of the sun.

Suckers

Bay sometimes produces shoots at the base; remove them on a standard.

Tip: Is your bay in a pot? Stand it on pot feet or on a saucer with castors: excess water can drain away, and you can easily bring it in during hard frost.

Bay laurel: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June and August.

When: Shape it in May–June and, if needed, once more in August.

How:

• Use secateurs rather than hedge trimmers: half-cut leaves turn brown.
• It regrows well, even after hard pruning: an overgrown or bare plant can be cut back hard, into the old wood.
• Trim a ball or pyramid twice a year to keep it crisp.

Caution: Not fully hardy: in a harsh winter it can be cut back by frost. Keep it out of cold east winds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In late summer, take semi-ripe cuttings of about 10 cm and root them under glass or plastic; it takes a few months.

Layering

Bend a low branch down to the ground, nick it lightly and cover it with soil; after a year you can cut it free.

Suckers

Dig up a shoot from the base with a piece of root and pot it up.

Bay laurel: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −12 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• An established bay in the ground tolerates brief frost down to about −12 °C. From about −10 °C, especially in a cold east wind, the leaves scorch and twigs are cut back.
• In hard frost, drape horticultural fleece over a plant in the ground. A frost-damaged bay usually grows back in spring, from old wood or from the base: wait until May before cutting out dead branches.
• In a pot the root-ball freezes sooner: wrap the pot, or in hard frost (from about −5 °C) move it to a cool, light, frost-free place.

Diseases and pests

• Scale insects: Brown scales under the leaves and on the twigs, with sticky honeydew and black sooty mould. Wipe them off or cut out affected twigs.
• Bay sucker: Curled, thickened and discoloured leaf edges in summer, with small, white, woolly nymphs inside. Cut off affected shoots.
• Frost damage: Brown leaves and dead twigs after a harsh winter. Wait until the plant shoots in spring, then cut back to healthy wood.
• Yellow leaves: In a pot often due to waterlogged compost or lack of nutrients. Improve drainage and feed in summer.

Through the year

• January: In hard frost: move potted plants to a frost-free place, fleece over plants in the ground.
• March: Put potted plants outside on mild days; repot.
• April: Flowering; plant; start feeding.
• May: Shape; cut out branches killed over winter.
• June: Finish shaping and clip the hedge; check for scale and bay sucker.
• August: Second trim and hedge clipping; take semi-ripe cuttings.
• September: Harvest leaves and dry them for winter.
• November: Move potted plants to shelter; get the fleece ready.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

Bay leaves for soups, stews and marinades; fresh or dried.

Garden and landscape

Evergreen shrub for shaping in a pot (ball, pyramid or standard) or as a hedge in a sheltered spot.

Also used for

In ancient times, winners were crowned with a laurel wreath.

Edible and useful

Leaves (January–December)

Pick mature, dark green leaves all year round: they have the most aroma. Use them fresh or dried in soups, stews, tomato sauce, marinades and when pickling vegetables. One or two leaves per pot is enough; take them out before serving.

Storing

Dry the leaves for one to two weeks on a rack or in a paper bag in a warm, dark, airy place, until they snap when you bend them. Keep them in a tightly closed jar away from the light; they are best used within a year. Fresh leaves keep for a week in a bag in the fridge.

Fermenting

A bay leaf traditionally goes into the jar with sauerkraut and with vegetables or gherkins fermented in brine, for flavour.

Caution: Do not confuse bay with cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus): it is poisonous and smells of bitter almond when a leaf is crushed. Oleander, rhododendron and pieris also have poisonous, leathery leaves. True bay smells spicy and savoury straight away. Do not eat the leaves themselves: they stay tough and sharp. Never use essential oil in food.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Dried bay leaves (Dried · 1 small jar · 10 min + 1–2 weeks drying)
• Bouquet garni (Other · 1 bundle (1 large pot of soup or stew) · 5 min)
• Bay leaf liqueur (Liqueur · ± 700 ml · 20 min + 4 weeks steeping)
• Baked bay leaf custard (Dish · 4 ramekins · 20 min + 40 min oven + 3 hrs chilling)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Not sure whether it’s bay or cherry laurel? Crush a leaf: true bay smells of the kitchen straight away, cherry laurel of bitter almonds.
• In ancient times, winners were crowned with a laurel wreath.
• That laurel wreath also gave us the word ‘laureate’.
• In Greek myth, the nymph Daphne was turned into a laurel to escape Apollo, and the tree was sacred to him ever after. Daphne is also the Greek word for laurel.
• The word ‘laureate’ and the phrase ‘resting on your laurels’ go back to the laurel wreath with which victors and poets were honoured in antiquity.