Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a
slightly more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of
temperatures falling below a certain temperature?

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

Flower Bobdew wrote:
Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering
my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a
minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter
their
bay trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to
a
slightly more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of
temperatures falling below a certain temperature?

I've never moved one indoors in Wales or Glos, and my mother leaves
hers out in London. All these are close to the walls, which shelters
them a bit: compass direction doesn't seem to matter. They "burn" a
bit in severe frosts, and I suppose you have to avoid the container
freezing solid; but in those areas we've got away without doing
anything.

--
Mike.

"Flower Bobdew" wrote in message
...

Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a
slightly more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of
temperatures falling below a certain temperature?

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It should be quite safe outside. It is quite hardy~ especially in the
SW. Leaves can be seared by persistent cold winds so keep it reasonably
sheltered.
Best Wishes Brian.

"Flower Bobdew" wrote in message
...

Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a slightly
more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of temperatures falling
below a certain temperature?

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

in Hampshire, we get the odd really cold few days but we have never made a
point of moving the bays. The potted, well established, ones remain where
they are out in the open and the smaller ones which we are training
(spiralled approx 200mm high) stay behind the garage out of any wind where
they still see the cold.

dj

"Juan Honglow" wrote in message
...

"Flower Bobdew" wrote in message
...

..

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a slightly
more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of temperatures falling
below a certain temperature?

--
If planted inground they should survive down to minus 12C and especially so
if not wind blown......they survive here (USA) at those temps. without many,
if any, problems...for a number of years I had a potted one which I put
under an unheated polytunnel (6mm poly) during the winter months and that
survived at temps. down to minus 18C.....the pot was sunk into the
ground....H

In article ,
Flower Bobdew wrote:

Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a
slightly more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of
temperatures falling below a certain temperature?

I did that for years, and eventually decided that winters were now
(perhaps temporarily) mild enough to plant it out - and it has had
no problems in Cambridge.

Bay trees are evergreen down to something like -5/-10 Celcius, and
are hardy down to -10/-15 Celcius. Established ones will regrow
from the roots even below that. Anyone who says to keep them above
5 Celcius is talking twaddle.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren writes

In article ,
Flower Bobdew wrote:

Most of the advice I've seen, so far, has suggested over wintering my
potted bay tree safely indoors - preferably somewhere with a minimum
temperature of 5 degrees.

Just wondering... Many people in here successfully over winter their bay
trees simply leaving them outside - possibly moving the pot to a
slightly more sheltered spot and being vigilant, in terms of
temperatures falling below a certain temperature?

I did that for years, and eventually decided that winters were now
(perhaps temporarily) mild enough to plant it out - and it has had
no problems in Cambridge.

Thanks to everyone that responded. I'll definitely be keeping it outside
this year, perhaps moving it to the sheltered side of the garden to give
some protection from frost and winter winds. And, to clarify...

Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the
tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as
long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the
frost comes."

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

Flower Bobdew wrote:
Nick Maclaren writes
[...]
Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with
the tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave]
outside
as long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when
the
frost comes."

I think that may depend on the size of the pot and the youth of the
tree. In severe climates it could be a problem, but I never lost any
seedlings to frost in West Wales; and that was in six-inch pots or
less, up against the north wall of the house but with no other
protection. It won't do them any harm to bring them into a cold
greenhouse or a windowsill for the winter (beware vine weevils,
though), but you should be OK outdoors with a layer of insulation and
good drainage.

I understand your concern, though. Nobody likes losing a tree, and
bays are ridiculously expensive, so there's nothing wrong with being
cautious.

--
Mike.

Mike Lyle writes

Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the tree
when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as long
as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the frost
comes."

I think that may depend on the size of the pot and the youth of the
tree. In severe climates it could be a problem, but I never lost any
seedlings to frost in West Wales; and that was in six-inch pots or
less, up against the north wall of the house but with no other
protection. It won't do them any harm to bring them into a cold
greenhouse or a windowsill for the winter (beware vine weevils,
though),

Well, that was the main reason behind my question, really... It's now a
2+ foot standard in an 18 inch tall pot, and with no greenhouse and a
very small house, bringing it indoors is potentially problematic, unless
we treat it as a roundabout!

but you should be OK outdoors with a layer of insulation and good
drainage.

I've noted, with interest, some comments about raising pots up from the
ground to aid insulation/drainage. Just wondering... If pots are already
placed on an uneven surface patio and/or loose stone [South
Cerney/Slate] do they still need to be raised? [I know drainage isn't a
problem in any of these areas here, as water runs away freely whenever
they are watered. I also have broken pots and 1-2 inches of grit/gravel
in the bottom of all my pots.]

I understand your concern, though. Nobody likes losing a tree, and
bays are ridiculously expensive

Quite!

so there's nothing wrong with being cautious.

Indeed. But its certainly been an enlightening thread, observing bays
being kept out in virtually all areas of the country throughout the
winter months.

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

In article , Flower Bobdew
writes
I've noted, with interest, some comments about raising pots up from the ground
to aid insulation/drainage. Just wondering... If pots are already placed on an
uneven surface patio and/or loose stone [South Cerney/Slate] do they still need
to be raised? [I know drainage isn't a problem in any of these areas here, as
water runs away freely whenever they are watered. I also have broken pots and
1-2 inches of grit/gravel in the bottom of all my pots.]

It can be a bit warmer if you raise them (cold air sinks and all that).
You can have dehydration problems if the pot and soil is frozen solid.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Flower Bobdew wrote:
Mike Lyle
[...]
but you should be OK outdoors with a layer of insulation and good
drainage.

I've noted, with interest, some comments about raising pots up from
the ground to aid insulation/drainage. Just wondering... If pots
are
already placed on an uneven surface patio and/or loose stone [South
Cerney/Slate] do they still need to be raised? [I know drainage
isn't
a problem in any of these areas here, as water runs away freely
whenever they are watered. I also have broken pots and 1-2 inches
of
grit/gravel in the bottom of all my pots.]
[...]

I think this depends on the circumstances: your circs seem to be very
good. On paving slabs a sloppy gardener like me may let gunk build up
under the pot, and that could impede the flow of excess water, but
that's obviously not happening with you.

--
Mike.

The message
from Flower Bobdew contains these words:

Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the
tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as
long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the
frost comes."

A case of CYA.

Bay trees look *LOVELY* at Christmas when sparkling with frost...

--
Rusty

In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes

The message
from Flower Bobdew contains these words:

Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the
tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as
long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the
frost comes."

A case of CYA.

Canadian Yachting Association?

Bay trees look *LOVELY* at Christmas when sparkling with frost...

As do most plants. I suppose its whether or not they'll still have
enough life to sparkle again the following year...or do the bare, dead
branches still look *LOVELY* when sparkling with frost?

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

In article ,
Flower Bobdew wrote:
In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes

Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the
tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as
long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the
frost comes."

A case of CYA.

Canadian Yachting Association?

Covering in Yak 'Air?

Bay trees look *LOVELY* at Christmas when sparkling with frost...

As do most plants. I suppose its whether or not they'll still have
enough life to sparkle again the following year...or do the bare, dead
branches still look *LOVELY* when sparkling with frost?

Not really :-(

Bay trees are not fully hardy in the UK, but they are very, very
close to it. I doubt very much that they would thrive (even in these
years of warm winters) in the coldest parts, and they can lose leaves
and even get cut back by cold winters. My estimates of the temperatures
for those are roughly right, and the people who say that young ones
can be killed where old ones will be merely cut back are true, too.

However, with winters of the past 10 years, my guess is that they are
hardy outside in most of the country, including in sheltered places of
the north-east and higher ground. The high Pennines and Highlands
are another matter.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from Flower Bobdew contains these words:
In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes
The message
from Flower Bobdew contains these words:

Anyone who says to keep them above 5 Celcius is talking twaddle.

Ahem... Amongst a lengthy swathe of advice which actually came with the
tree when I bought it last year, and I quote: "...[leave] outside as
long as it does not freeze. Just remember to put it inside when the
frost comes."

A case of CYA.

Canadian Yachting Association?

Cover Your Arse.

Bay trees look *LOVELY* at Christmas when sparkling with frost...

As do most plants. I suppose its whether or not they'll still have
enough life to sparkle again the following year...or do the bare, dead
branches still look *LOVELY* when sparkling with frost?

Oh, indubitably they do, and you can hang pretty balls on them better...

--
Rusty