Anyone Have A Bay Laurel?

[al3tte]

I'm considering ordering a Laurus Nobilis from Amazon.
I've scoured every gardening center and nursery near me, and had others I know doing the same, for years without luck. (In fact, I've been lucky to find someone who even knows what I'm talking about.)
I feel odd about ordering a live plant online, but it would totally be worth it if it's the real deal!

I'm in zone 5b so I know I'd have to keep it in a pot, and that it needs cactus or well-draining soil. But are there any other tips or tricks I should know from anyone who has kept one alive successfully?

Thanks in advance!

[imafan26]

I have both lauris nobilis and California bay. California bay laurel is really a myrtle but both can be used as an herb. The leaves of the California bay are narrower and stronger. The plants grow in zones 8-11 so it might be hard to find one locally. I would go to a mail order catalog rather than amazon. You will at least have a guarantee of a good plant.

Bay trees are very slow growing and they grow in a columnar shape so they make good pot plants. They will bush out more if they are topped. Bay will grow slowly to about 30 ft if its is not cut, but some of them grow faster under certain conditions. They are expensive because they take a long time to grow. It takes me about 5 months to get cuttings to root. It takes almost a year before they need to be potted up to a one gallon container. After that they do grow a little faster. They like humidity and warmth and they do not like wet feet so the potting mix does need to drain well. It tolerates being root bound well, but it is hard to get them out of the pot that way so pot up before that happens. They will grow faster in full sun than in partial shade. I give them slow release fertilizer (nutracote 13-13-13). They don't need much; nutracote is good for 9 months. I only have to remember to fertilize once or twice a year.
Scale and whiteflies are the biggest pest problems. I usually just cut back the plants and scrape off the scale. No pesticides are listed for most herbs.

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/p ... sweet-bay/

[al3tte]

I saw that on Monrovia, actually, but it's out of stock

I was looking at Hirt's - but they have their own site too.

And also these since they are Prime eligible, but they seem a little more shady with only 2 reviews and they aren't in stock anyway it seems.

[al3tte]

Ordered from Hirt's TODAY! I'm so psyched! I got two so I can give one to my Dad once they're established.

They are coming in quart sized pots. Should I plan to re-pot immediately? If so, what size, and should I use 1/2 or full cactus mix? I plan to keep them indoors except maybe a little sun on my deck for the summer.