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

"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.

they do take some time to grow from shoots.

see our 18 year old, http://www.daj.fseltd.btinternet.co.uk/BayTree.htm

dj

In article ,
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?

No shelter needed.

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

If, however, we return to the winters of 20+ years ago, it will
not overwinter reliably in the colder parts of the country. It
regrows well from its roots, but will not survive having its top
growth killed every winter. I am not sure what it can take, but
my guess is that -15 Celcius, probably even an extended period of
-10 with a wind, will kill its leaves.

We used to get that, but I haven't seen such temperatures in
Cambridge in over a decade.

Give it somewhere well-drained and let it go. It can be pruned
back ad lib and even clipped.


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

they do take some time to grow from shoots.

see our 18 year old, http://www.daj.fseltd.btinternet.co.uk/BayTree.htm

Well, my 10 year old one is c. 8' high. They grow quite fast if
they like the conditions, so it is NOT worth spending a lot of
money on a large plant. It is worth getting an established plant
because, as you say, they take a while to get going from a cutting.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
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?

No shelter needed.

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

If, however, we return to the winters of 20+ years ago, it will
not overwinter reliably in the colder parts of the country. It
regrows well from its roots, but will not survive having its top
growth killed every winter. I am not sure what it can take, but
my guess is that -15 Celcius, probably even an extended period of
-10 with a wind, will kill its leaves.

We used to get that, but I haven't seen such temperatures in
Cambridge in over a decade.

Give it somewhere well-drained and let it go. It can be pruned
back ad lib and even clipped.


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

they do take some time to grow from shoots.

see our 18 year old, http://www.daj.fseltd.btinternet.co.uk/BayTree.htm

Well, my 10 year old one is c. 8' high. They grow quite fast if
they like the conditions, so it is NOT worth spending a lot of
money on a large plant. It is worth getting an established plant
because, as you say, they take a while to get going from a cutting.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

we cut it back most years to this height, 10 feet and it's about 6 feet in
diameter.

dj

The message
from Lee and Kath contains these words:

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?

Yes. Just plant it out, giving it plenty of room. Remember, it will give
dense shade, so it's best placed where the shade doesn't matter.

They grow to quite a decent height eventually - in the 1950s, our two,
planted in Essex in the 1920s were conical-ish in shape and about 18-20
feet high, with a 12 foot spread.

They can be trimmed or pruned quite ruthlessly though.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Glittery Gary wrote:
[...]
see our 18 year old,
http://www.daj.fseltd.btinternet.co.uk/BayTree.htm

Very nice: took eighteen years to load, though!

--
Mike.

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.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
Glittery Gary wrote:
[...]
see our 18 year old,
http://www.daj.fseltd.btinternet.co.uk/BayTree.htm

Very nice: took eighteen years to load, though!

--
Mike.



ahhh, the joys of Broadband..........sorry to any dialuppers..........

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

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

If, however, we return to the winters of 20+ years ago, it will
not overwinter reliably in the colder parts of the country. It
regrows well from its roots, but will not survive having its top
growth killed every winter. I am not sure what it can take, but
my guess is that -15 Celcius, probably even an extended period of
-10 with a wind, will kill its leaves.

I doubt it. Between the 1920s and 1970s I know that those bay trees in
Essex were perfectly OK. I can't speak for any damage between 1920 and
1950, but I never saw any frost or wind damage between 1950 and 1978

We used to get that, but I haven't seen such temperatures in
Cambridge in over a decade.

We used to get that as well, and you're right, such temperatures seem to
have receded into memory.

Give it somewhere well-drained and let it go. It can be pruned
back ad lib and even clipped.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"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 probs - I've had mine growing outside in a pot for about 6 years now - in
Aberdeen. It's had cold, snow, dark and other unpleasantness, and is growing
a treat. he soil is well drained, and I re-pot every second year. I keep it
on the dry side.

Regards

Chris S

In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

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

If, however, we return to the winters of 20+ years ago, it will
not overwinter reliably in the colder parts of the country. It
regrows well from its roots, but will not survive having its top
growth killed every winter. I am not sure what it can take, but
my guess is that -15 Celcius, probably even an extended period of
-10 with a wind, will kill its leaves.

I doubt it. Between the 1920s and 1970s I know that those bay trees in
Essex were perfectly OK. I can't speak for any damage between 1920 and
1950, but I never saw any frost or wind damage between 1950 and 1978

I did. And I don't mean just in 1962/3, which killed most of the
ones I knew of, in one case not resprouting until 1964. I am pretty
sure that -15 Celcius will kill all of their leaves and young
shoots, from what I remember of those winters. Bean says that it
gets leaf-loss even at Kew in hard winters.

There may well be different varieties of different hardiness, of
course.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

I doubt it. Between the 1920s and 1970s I know that those bay trees in
Essex were perfectly OK. I can't speak for any damage between 1920 and
1950, but I never saw any frost or wind damage between 1950 and 1978

I did. And I don't mean just in 1962/3, which killed most of the
ones I knew of, in one case not resprouting until 1964. I am pretty
sure that -15 Celcius will kill all of their leaves and young
shoots, from what I remember of those winters. Bean says that it
gets leaf-loss even at Kew in hard winters.

There may well be different varieties of different hardiness, of
course.

Possibly - our two trees didn't seem to suffer in '62/63. (Nor did I - I
started hitch-hiking so I could spend Hogmanay in the Western Highlands.
The blizzards followed me up the country, catching me up around Shap. At
that time I was in a small standard van. The driver, a Glaswegian also
intent of making Hogmanay north of the border wasn't to be denied. "Will
ye gait i' th' back and sit ower th' back axle? I'll gie us mair grup on
th' way up..."

Visibility was - er - not very far. He slung a comforting thought into
the back: "A' I hope is, we dinnae meet an arrrrtic camin' doon
sideways!"

Once in the Highlands, there was no snow, and I was in shirtsleeves at
Mallaig and over the sea to Skye the next day. Listening to the weather
reports on the radio prompted me to phone home and brag about the
weather...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Hello,
I am in Bawtry nr Doncaster and have a number of bay trees growing in
pots, from 1-3ft tall. They sit out in the garden unprotected all
year.
Just go around the trees picking leaves off as I require them.
Have seen pots of cuttings in the local garden center with several too
a pot. So if you are prepared to wait!
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
Good luck
Clifford

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.

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.