Dark evergreen leaves, scented strongly enough that a single one perfumes a whole dish: bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is the shrub behind every bouquet garni, and it grows fast into a natural cone. Shelter it with horticultural fleece where winters turn hard, and there are leaves to pick for the kitchen all year round.
| Name | Laurus nobilis |
|---|---|
| Family | Lauraceae |
| Type | shrub, bay |
| Height | 10 to 24 feet (3 to 7 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Foliage | evergreen |
| Flowering | Spring |
| Harvest | all year round |
Planting, care and pruning, here is the advice that will make your bay laurel thrive.
Favor planting bay laurel in fall or in spring, avoiding freezing temperatures.
Planting your bay laurel well will ensure proper regrowth and good development.
Making cuttings is the simplest and fastest manner of propagating your bay laurel.
Cuttings is well-suited and usually successful with bay laurel, select softwood stems for the cuttings.
Bay laurel is a shrub that is very easy to care for and only requires very little care, both for pruning and for watering.
It isn’t really necessary to prune, if only to balance the tree if needed after the blooming.
However, if you wish to prohibit your laurel from self-seeding, prune drastically before flowering.
It is also possible to prune your bay laurel into a shape, like a sphere, a cone, or other topiary shapes. For that, prune off spring and fall growth.
Bay laurel, once properly settled in, requires absolutely no care, unless it is grown in a pot.
Potted bay laurel needs watering whenever the soil has dried up.
Bay laurel must be protected in winter in regions where it often freezes in the cold season, with horticultural fleece.
Bay laurel is favored in gardens for its aromatic leaves that are extremely fragrant.
It is possible to harvest them from early spring until the first frost spells.
Leaves can be harvested when needed, or they can be collected and dried for keeping.
Finally, remember that bay laurel leaves are great spices both fresh and dried. For the dried ones, use them either whole or powdered.
Fresh laurel leaves tend to be a bit more bitter and more fragrant.
Bay laurel asks for very little, but the few jobs it does need are tied to a season. Here is each task, its timing and the reason behind it.
| Task | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Planting | Fall or spring | Frost-free conditions ensure proper regrowth and good development |
| Taking cuttings | End of summer | Softwood cuttings are the simplest, fastest way to propagate |
| Transplanting rooted cuttings | The following spring | They overwinter in a cool, well-lit, frost-free room first |
| Hard pruning | Before flowering | Stops the laurel from self-seeding |
| Shaping and topiary | On spring and fall growth | Builds a sphere, cone or other shape; pruning makes it more vigorous |
| Harvesting leaves | early spring until the first frost spells | Leaves can be used fresh or dried for keeping |
| Mulching | Spring, every year | Avoids weed growth and retains water |
| Winter protection | Cold season, in freeze-prone regions | Horticultural fleece shields the shrub from frost |
Keep to this rhythm and the shrub will supply leaves for the kitchen without further attention.
Among named forms, ‘Aurea’ and ‘Saratoga’ are both grown for the same purpose, producing very fragrant leaves that are useful all year long in cooking and taking readily to pruning into a sphere or cone.
Bay laurel is part of the evergreen shrubs group.
It produces very fragrant leaves that are useful all year long in cooking.
You can use them freshly-picked and also dried several months after their harvest, since their taste keeps well.
Finally, take note that bay laurel leaves are excellent for digestion, all you need to do is infuse 3 bay laurel leaves in one mug boiling water and drink when the water has cooled.
Bay laurel twigs and leaves were intertwined to prepare crown wreaths bestowed upon Roman generals who came back victorious from war in the times of the Roman empire. The same was used in Ancient Greece in for winners of Olympic competitions.
Since bay laurel is one of the herbs that make up bouquet garni, it won’t be difficult for you to prepare your own bouquet garni by adding just a few more herbs to the garden.
To keep savors as long as possible, collect bay laurel leaves preferably when they are in their growth phase.
Dry them for a few days in a dry and ventilated shed before storing them in a jar that seals moisture out.
Aside from bay laurel, bouquet garni most often includes:
See also: how to prepare bouquet garni with plants from your garden
To avoid weed growth and retain water needed for its development, spread mulch at the base of the tree in spring and repeat this every year.
