The bay tree (Laurus nobilis) is also known as sweet bay and has a long history in cultivation stretching back to ancient Greece and Rome where it was known as the laurel tree and provided decorative headpieces for the celebrities of the day. They have glossy green leaves and bear attractive cream flowers in Spring, followed by dark berries.
Bay trees are adaptable and easy to grow. They are very pest and disease resistant and while quite slow growing they are also generally very hardy. They will not tolerate frost when young but are frost-hardy when mature. Bay Trees can be planted in the ground and can actually reach over 15m tall if grown as a tree. They make perfect pot plants as the leaves have a shiny surface and wavy margin that gives them an excellent ornamental quality, and the plant can be pruned into a manageable small shrub when grown as a container plant. It is an incredibly versatile tree, and can even be pruned into a topiary or hedge and with regular care and maintenance it can be kept at your desired height and grown as a shrub.
It is best to obtain a mature plant from your local nursery, especially if you want to begin harvesting leaves immediately, as it takes a long time to grow from seed, and can be difficult to propagate from cuttings.
How to use bay leaf
In order to increase the amount of leaves available for harvesting it is a good idea to pinch out the growing tips during the warmer months of the year when the plant is producing new growth. This will make the plant bushier so that picking off the older leaves for the kitchen will not be as noticeable.
Harvest as needed. A few twigs or small branches placed in your pantry or linen cupboard will help repel common pests like pantry moths.
The aromatic oils in the leaf are extremely useful for adding extra flavour to stews, casseroles and various meat dishes. Usually whole leaves are used and although dried foliage is the most common method of use, the fresh leaves provide a much better result as a significant amount of the oils are lost when the leaves are dried.
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