bay tree

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littlemick Maryville, TN(Zone 6b) Sep 19, 2006

several years ago i was given a bay tree in a pot. every year i put it out in the garden in spring and bring it back into the kitchen for the winter. it has never grown much but this year it liked it's spot in the garden and has a lot of new growth. i live in the tennessee valley and our winters are usually very mild. can i leave it out for the winter if i mulch it heavily ?

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) Sep 19, 2006

You could try planting it next year in the spring but make sure the soil is well-drained with sand. You will need to protect it during cold weather. Even here they sometimes burn during a cold-snap. You'd probably need to wrap it in burlap during the coldest weather. You can always plant it, take cuttings for new plants incase it doesn't make it. The protection of other evergreen plants around it makes a big difference.

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StarhillForest Illinois, IL(Zone 5b) Sep 19, 2006

. . . and don't even try that unless you're willing to lose it. It will be toast the first time it drops down into the low teens, unless you race out there with tarps and a heater. They are very amenable to drastic pruning and Bonsai-type root pruning, if you want to keep it indefinitely as a potted tree (as I do). Or maybe you could try planting it out, cut it way back for winter, cover the stubs well, and let it regrow every spring like a perennial.

Guy S.

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) Sep 20, 2006

I was sitting in the extremely long line-up at the border on Sunday and I pointed out a Bay Laurel out to my friend infront of the Duty Free shop. It was atleast 15' with large trucks flying by every couple of minutes. The protection of the corner of the house so it gets some insulation and reflected heat helps. Like Guy said, you must be willing to take the chance of losing it but I had good success with cuttings.

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littlemick Maryville, TN(Zone 6b) Sep 20, 2006

Thanks for the advice. I am quite fond of it and don't think i'll risk losing it. We are already having nightime tempertures that are about 10 degrees below normal, so we might be in store for a cold winter. i'm glad to know it is easy to start from cuttings. i'll try that and maybe experiment with a baby tree next year.

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Phrago Coldwater, MI(Zone 5b) Sep 20, 2006

There's an old man that lives around the corner from me. He has several Fig trees that are quite large but kept pruned to about 5 feet high, each one planted in one of those vinyl wheel barrows with two wheels in the front. He just wheels them into his garage in the late Fall and then brings them back out in the Spring. He parks them at the back of his driveway where there is good light and some protection from his house and the one next door. Something you might consider for your bay tree as it gets larger...

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