Bay Laurel

And, as eternal youth is mine, you also shall be always green, and your leaf know no decay.
from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book I, Daphne

One of my favorite herbs to grow is bay laurel, Laurus nobilis. Roman poet Ovid made this plant famous in his poem that recounts the tale of Daphne and Apollo. As the story goes, the river god Peneus transformed the beautiful nymph Daphne into a bay laurel tree to save her from the unwanted advances of Apollo. As a tribute to his love and the beauty of the bay laurel, Apollo blessed the tree with evergreen leaves and named it as his sacred tree. It has since become a symbol of victory and merit.

Bay laurel is an easy herb to grow. It thrives in sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. In my zone 7 garden I grow bay laurel in a container so that I can bring it indoors when the weather turns cold. In temperate climates (zones 8 - 10) bay laurel is grown as a culinary tree, reaching heights of up to 50'. This herb is especially well suited for training into topiary forms.

While I may not have witnessed my bay laurel change from a water nymph into a tree, I have watched it grow from a small cutting into a beautiful 3' tall shrub. It is a treasure to me because I received it in 1997 from herbalist and author Adelma Grenier Simmons when I visited her at her herb farm, Caprilands in Connecticut. She passed away several months after my trip to see her, making her gift that much more special. Adelma was a leader in the promotion of herbs and herbal remedies. I recommend her book Herb Gardening in Five Seasons to anyone who enjoys growing herbs.

While I was with Adelma, I asked her what her number one piece of advice would be to fellow gardeners. She replied that she would encourage them to learn more about the plants they select for their gardens before heading out to the nursery. I agree with Adelma's wise counsel. Not only will this ensure successful growing, but it is an opportunity to learn about plants, like the bay laurel, that have fascinating histories.

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Comments

bay leaf

by barbara white on August 28, 2009 05:25
i used to live in the Bay Area, Hayward to be exact and would hike the green belt "east bay" hills with my son's cub scout troup. Bay Laurels grow wild all over those hills in natural groups. The smell when you rubbed them as you passed was perfect. I usually took a couple pockets of leaves home to dry. Very pretty medium sized round trees.
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Bay Laurel trees

by E. Beron on December 27, 2008 06:32
I can remember our neighbor's huge bay laurel tree quite clearly. My mother often cooked ducks and the kind neighbor gave her many leaves to flavor the ducks. When we lived in London, we were fortunate to have 2 bay laurel trees at our front door. Now, I must get one! Happy 2009, Allen. Enjoy your site immensely!
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Adelina's advice on growing herbs

by Ellise Beron on November 10, 2008 06:36
This is excellent advice for gardeners of any kind. Having mde many mistakes in planting things I like rather than plants that suit my zone, I have learned to do a lot of reading before buying plants. Enjoyed this article very much! Thank you.
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Re: Bay Laurel

by Pam on June 30, 2008 02:43
My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Caprilands a few months before Adelma passed away. The floor of the barn, where luncheon was served, was strewn with herbs and flower petals. It was a most charming and romantic site.
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Bay Laurel

by Helen Corrigan on June 14, 2008 08:08
We have a bay laurel. It produces bay leaves for cooking. I keep branches in my cubbords. No insector worm dare thrive in it. Laid around the house, you will have no ants. At Chrostmas time;, branches in the kitchen smell so good. No cockroachs dare come in under my sink with the bay leaves. I dry it, package it and give away to friends for special occassions. Perfect in spagetti sauce. Over pork. all soups. anything with cooked tomatoes. Could not do without this bush. Manyfriends come and trim it for their branch leaves. Ours is 5½ft. high and just as wide. Has to be trimmed once a month once a month to keep it from overwhelming sidewalk and wall. Put one in. You will love it. No care in volved except trimming.
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Re: Bay Laurel

by Alpha Hopkins on June 11, 2008 10:29
Very informative comments. I did try to grow it in a container for 2 years but did not thrive.
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Bay Lauren in NC

by Arthur on May 17, 2008 09:36
I have several large Bay Lauren's in Morehead City, NC. I alow then to get to about 10 feet (it takes a few seasons) then cut them back to about 18 inches and harvest the leaves and root cuttings from the trimings. The root easily and are not harmed by our occasional temps in the teens during the winter. Arthur Raleigh, NC
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Re: Bay Laurel

by wendy on April 19, 2008 03:06
I just purchased a small bay laurel (laurus nobliis. The nursery told me to plant in a large container and bring it in for winter. The National Aboretum has is 30-foot specimen established as an outdoor tree. I would like to try and make mine a permanent outdoor tree. I have luck with a rosemay bush planted 10-years ago. I believe they are simular in cold tolarance. I will inquire at the Aboretum next week. I am zone 7.
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bay laurel

by Ellen on April 14, 2008 05:25
I acquired a bay laurel plant some about 8 years ago when I lived in CT, not far from Caprilands. (I also met the grand dame Adelma!) I too, kept it in a container, which had to be exchanged for a larger one several times. It now stands over 6 feet tall and at least 5 feet wide. We relocated to southeastern NC last year, and were convinced by the local nursery people that we could plant it in the ground in our 7b-8a zone. So far so good, although I was very hesitant, and blanketed it on the colder nights just below freezing. I would like to know if others in this zone have had luck keeping it outdoors year round! Ellen
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Bay Laurel in NC

by cteller
I planted my bay laurel outside after having it inside for a year. It thrived outside, but almost died back the first year. It is now growing, but I don\'t think it will ever be the size of the trees people have commented about.

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