I have a very nice 20 foot high Bay Laurel tree in my garden. It has developed a triple crown, each about 18 inches high. Should I leave it alone or should I remove two of them?
I have a lovely sweet bay tree. I'm trying to find a way to work with the root suckers that shoot up. Cutting them down is not neat. . .thought about putting iron edging around tree and just trimming or can I use the recycled rubber tree mat to cover?
Sweet bay can be a shrub or tree. If you prefer a tree, you will need to cut the root suckers. The tree mat will keep them from coming up where it covers the ground. For a shrub, leave the root suckers alone.
I have two very healthy bay plants which are very bushy. How do I make them into trees without all the foliage at the bottom to make two attractive plants by the front door?
If you're pruning to a tree-shape, remove the lower branches to reveal the trunks, removing the lower branches to shape it into a tree. Prune all the young suckers around the base of the shrub at ground level, removing up to one third of the shrub's stems if there are multiple trunks rising from the roots. Do not remove any more than a third of its growth in any given year. Also, remove any crossing or crowded branches about 1/4-inch above an outward facing bud until you achieve the desired shape.
I live in France. We had a severe winter this year up to -20. I have numerous bay leaves planted in the ground which have been there for over 30 years. They have all caught the winter frost and the leaves have turned brown and are falling off. What should I do - hard prune or just leave to its own device?
They can recover, if the stems are alive. This article will help you determine if the stems are still alive: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm The brown leaves will fall off. Then new leaves will grow back. Because bay trees grow slowly, this may take some time. Here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
When is the best time to move a bay tree to a bigger pot?
Now would be a good time to repot your tree. When repotting, it is best to go at least 2 inches larger in diameter on the pot. But there is absolutely no harm to the plant if you decide to go bigger than that. And going larger means that it will be longer before you have to repot the tree again.
Do I strip off all the leaves off my bay laurel bush in the fall? If not, when?
You do not strip off all the leaves from the plant, but rather harvest and use them as needed. The leaves may be harvested at any time (year round), but the best flavor can be had from larger, mature leaves. To harvest leaves, cut the older leaves from the stem with a pair of scissors, or you can gently pull the leaves off of the stem by hand.
I left my 3' bay leaf outside but in the corner of our deck. I live in the Nashville, TN area. The leaves are brown. Is it dead or should I trim back or just buy a new one?
Didn't you have some serious cold this winter?
I live in central Florida and have a bay leaf in a pot also. However, I always bring it in for the winter. I think because we had so much rain last year.....mine got all dead looking leaves also. I trimmed it back a little and it did come back just like new. Perhaps you should wait a bit and see if any green shoots start coming out with the nicer weather.