Looks like serious frost damage to me. It can take a while to show.
Cut back any leaves and branches that are definitely dead.And wait. If it starts to regrow, leave it a year, say, and then start pruning hard to shape. My guess is that it's a goner. If you cut back the main stem, you could retrain a new mop-head standard in 4-5 seasons. Maybe a column would be easier.
PS My neighbour has a very large female bush (Bay are dioecious). Pigeons like the fruits and seedlings appear in my garden. My two original trees are from Ghent But I now have several self trained. In pots and in the borders: mop-heads, columns, Bay balls (as in Cambridge).
For the future. Protect from frost. I keep close to the house and put bubble wrap round the stem and fleece over the head from December to March. Surrey.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I am an experienced gardener. Very experienced with bay trees.
When I was an RHS member my membership number was below 5000, now they have over 400,000 members. I resigned to save money, because the gardens had become themes parks, and because then couldn't answer my questions.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Must admit I'm surprised that Bays in Surrey need winter protection but I suppose if they are all container grown, they could be a bit iffy. Always good to get an alternative view tho:)
Bays are expensive (except my home-grown and home-trained). Better safe than sorry.
In Surrey we can get frosts in late May. Frost when the sap is rising does the most damage. A bit of leaf or small branch frost can be shrugged off. But main-stem frosting is serious.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I am an experienced gardener. Very experienced with bay trees.
When I was an RHS member my membership number was below 5000, now they have over 400,000 members. I resigned to save money, because the gardens had become themes parks, and because then couldn't answer my questions.
What a load of nonsense, you're telling me Wisley's Hilltop is a theme park? There's a difference between appealing to a small subsection of experienced gardeners or trying to inspire as many as possible. And I think the RHS are doing a very good job. We surely shouldn't decry them their membership success...I'd rather they're not a niche organisation.
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Looks like serious frost damage to me. It can take a while to show.
Cut back any leaves and branches that are definitely dead.And wait. If it starts to regrow, leave it a year, say, and then start pruning hard to shape. My guess is that it's a goner. If you cut back the main stem, you could retrain a new mop-head standard in 4-5 seasons. Maybe a column would be easier.
PS My neighbour has a very large female bush (Bay are dioecious). Pigeons like the fruits and seedlings appear in my garden. My two original trees are from Ghent But I now have several self trained. In pots and in the borders: mop-heads, columns, Bay balls (as in Cambridge).
For the future. Protect from frost. I keep close to the house and put bubble wrap round the stem and fleece over the head from December to March. Surrey.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
When I was an RHS member my membership number was below 5000, now they have over 400,000 members. I resigned to save money, because the gardens had become themes parks, and because then couldn't answer my questions.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Always good to get an alternative view tho:)
In Surrey we can get frosts in late May. Frost when the sap is rising does the most damage. A bit of leaf or small branch frost can be shrugged off. But main-stem frosting is serious.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."