On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 11:10:25 +0000 (UTC), "Glittery Gary" wrote:


"Lee and Kath" wrote in message
.. .
I am fed up withh the unavailablity of bay leaves in the shops so I want to
have my own tree.

I live in SE sheffield. It is not particularly cold here - quite
sheltered. I do not have
agreenhouse or conservatory but the garage has a large clear part to the
roof (ivy grows INSIDE very
well) if shelter is needed in winter.

Is it easy to care fof?

Kath

No shelter needed.

Winters well outside. We have a number of young coming along.

are you intending to buy a mature plant or grow from a shoot.

Initially I would like a mature one.

On 22 Aug 2005 12:17:47 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:


In article .com,
"cliff_the_gardener" writes:
|
| As a tree they are relatively hardy, but they can get a fungal disease
| called coral spot - the bark gets these coral coloured spots on it.
| Can be fatal, but helped by good air circulation

It's almost never serious - it normally attacks only dead wood,
though some sources say that it can cause die-back. As far as
I know, there is no definite evidence that it DOES cause such
die-back, as distinct from being the first invader after the
branch starts dying back from another cause. It will infect
newly cut branches within a week or two in warm, wet weather,
so either hypothesis is possible.

Anyway, as you say, whatever the original cause, a good first
treatment is to improve air circulation.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thank you for all the interesting replies. I am looking forward to this foray.

Kath

Mike Lyle wrote:
datsy wrote:
No shelter needed.

Winters well outside. We have a number of young coming along.

What about if they are grown in a pot? Can they still be left
outside
with no probs? I bought a small one as a herb from the garden
centre
earlier this year and it's now in an 8" pot.

I've never had any trouble, but I suppose there's always a first
time... If you keep it against the wall of the house or in a porch
you'll probably reduce the risk in an exceptional freeze-up such as
has been described.

--
Mike.