Standard Bay Trees are the centrepiece of so many stately home displays often found in National Trust properties. Now you too can bring this stately charm into your very own home. Forming the focal points of so many gardens, Standard Bay Trees are the punctuation mark of the gardening world and are guaranteed to make an impact in your outdoor space.
Bay Trees add a spectacular element to your outdoor displays yet also serve a practical purpose with the dimension they create. They also have wonderful culinary value as their leaves can be used to add an aromatic enhancement to winter stews, casseroles, and marinades. Simply pick off a couple of leaves, bruise them with a pestle and mortar and add them into your dish to create a wonderful depth of flavour.
Standard Bay Trees are an architectural gem that can be utilised throughout their growing season with bay leaves free to pick whenever you choose. A great option is to occasionally trim the leaves back into a globe shape and keep the off cuts. You can either dry these leaves out and keep them in a jar to use at any time or you can preserve them in a bag in the freezer. A fabulous convenient option for when there’s no fresh growth available, you’ll always have a supply of bay leaves to add to your cooking.
A classic beauty, Standard Bay Trees are a reliable architectural feature that thrive in a range of settings such as plant pots, beds and borders. A pair of Bay Trees outside your front door creates a truly timeless and beautiful aesthetic that is guaranteed to charm and welcome your guests.
Suitable for gardeners of all skill levels and an absolute must for chefs, Standard Bay Trees are guaranteed to effortlessly elevate your garden.
How to Plant Standard Bay Trees
Bay trees will grow in any well-drained soil in a sunny position, and thrive in containers, as long as they are kept well-watered. When planting use a soil-based compost, such as our premium professional compost, with extra grit added to improve stability and help drainage as bay roots dislike sitting in wet conditions.
How to Care For Standard Bay Trees
Add controlled-release fertiliser granules to the pot or use a liquid feed every two week from mid-spring to late summer.
Bay Trees can withstand temperatures down to -5°C, but frost and cold winter winds can damage the foliage so protect plants with fleece if temperatures are likely to fall below this. Similarly, pots can be wrapped in bubble wrap to protect them. Any damage caused by winter cold can be pruned out in the spring.
Whenever the tree becomes slightly unkept, simply trim around the edges to create that classic globe shape.
Check plants and repot every two years in spring so that the soil does not become exhausted and stale.
Feed with a little fish, blood and bone two to three times a year.
