Easy to care for, robust and elegant. What else can you expect from a container and winter garden plant? The evergreen Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), symbol of the Mediterranean way of life, meets all requirements easily. Laurel bushes can cope with full sun and hot locations as well as shady ones and, as noble sentinels in beautiful pots, are happy to occupy places to the right and left of the entrance to the house, the patio or the garden. It grows naturally compact and tolerates pruning very well, which allows it to be trained into accurate shapes such as cones, pyramids, spirals or single 'lollipop' stems - even with a corkscrew-like twisted stem. The cultivation of such topiary, however, takes a long time. To get a crown of just 50 cm in diameter may often take 10 years or more. Our advice: When pruning or shaping the valuable plants, you should deal with each shoot individually to make sure not to cut through the leaves which would leave dry edges. The leaves you clip off the plant can be used as fresh or dried herb in cooking or - in a small sachet - as a bath additive. Due to the high content of refreshing essential oils, the evergreen Mediterranean plant is not troubled by most diseases and insect pests. Those who allow the Bay Laurel to grow unpruned can enjoy an abundance of yellow flowers in spring, followed by black, round fruits. Your Bay Laurel tolerates varying supply of water, although it prefers a constantly humid soil. During winter, however, it cannot stay outside. It must be kept indoors, where it will accept almost any place as long as it is cool. It doesn’t need a lot of light, so it can even be wintered in basements, stairwells, entry hallways or similar places.

Quality: aromatic leaves; can be used as herb in cooking; evergreen; very suitable for topiary; tolerates almost any light situation; very compact growth habit; easy to winter

Use: in pots from March to November outside (balcony/terrace/patio/garden) – during winter in a frost-free room indoor; year-round in an unheated conservatory