Laurus nobilis Seeds | Bay Laurel
LATIN NAME: Laurus nobilis
COMMON NAME: Bay Laurel
Plant Profile
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an aromatic, evergreen tree, native to Mediterranean region. Bay laurel is glossy, aromatic, evergreen tree of warm lands of old world, and its leaves have been a familiar of kitchen and tradition for thousands of years. Dense, dark-green, glossy crown of pointed, aromatic leaves can be grown as a small tree, a neat hedge or a clipped standard, and small, pale-yellow flowers and dark berries follow through the season. Leaves are picked and dried for cooking, and tree has been a symbol of honour and triumph since old world. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Laurus nobilis ranges from the botany of the Laurus group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Bay laurel has a very long and careful place in plant science and the history. A long cultivation history means growers know what to expect from it.
Uses & Benefits
Bay Laurel brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Bay laurel is grown for leaves, and aromatic leaves are a staple of kitchens of world, added to soups, stews, sauces and roasts, and removed before the serving. Tree is also a fine, glossy evergreen for garden, grown as a specimen, a hedge or a clipped standard, and dark berries have their traditional uses. Bay laurel has been a companion of people of warm old world for thousands of years, and leaves were woven into wreaths of victors and poets of old civilisations. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
Bay laurel leaves are a kitchen essential and a traditional digestive, their cineole-rich oil studied for antimicrobial activity; bay is also a fine topiary and screening evergreen.
Growing from Seed
Bay Laurel is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Its wild home in mediterranean region explains both its toughness and its preferences in the garden. It tolerates the sort of small mistakes every beginner makes.
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