When you repot your tree, assuming you are going to, have a look at the root ball. If the roots are thin dry and tightly enmeshed with each other, trim off the dead stringy roots until you find some white fleshy roots. Gently tease out as much of the old compost from between the roots and repot in a much larger pot, working the fresh compost between the root fibres by constantly gently shaking your tree as you add more compost. Firm in by pressing the compost with your hands, give it a good long drink, let it drain and put in a cool semi shaded corner to recover from the shock of all your loving attention. Visit it daily, talk to it, apologise for your neglect, snip off any dead twigs whenever you see them, keep it watered, every day unless it is rained on, bay trees do not like dry conditions, and you may be lucky and see new shoots in a few weeks time! It might be a good idea to give your tree a stake for a couple of years to avoid wind rock as that will also kill it if you have a lot of windy weather. Like wot we get down 'ere in Cornwall" If this regime is too ardous for you to maintain I would buy a plastic bay tree, not something I would normally advocate, but there are some excellent reproduction trees out there which would survive in your hot, dry corner by your door, and all you would need to do is occasionally wash the leaves to keep it looking fresh. No feeding, repotting or pruning and no guilt trip. I have a sneaky feeling your tree will survive, but it is very likely to sprout from the base of the trunk turning it into a bush, not a lollipop. They are slow growing trees which is why they are so expensive to buy already trained. It would take several years to train a new shoot into the size of your existing tree but we will deal with that if it survives. You are not alone in losing a treasure through lack of knowledge. Good luck
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Like wot we get down 'ere in Cornwall"
If this regime is too ardous for you to maintain I would buy a plastic bay tree, not something I would normally advocate, but there are some excellent reproduction trees out there which would survive in your hot, dry corner by your door, and all you would need to do is occasionally wash the leaves to keep it looking fresh. No feeding, repotting or pruning and no guilt trip.
I have a sneaky feeling your tree will survive, but it is very likely to sprout from the base of the trunk turning it into a bush, not a lollipop. They are slow growing trees which is why they are so expensive to buy already trained. It would take several years to train a new shoot into the size of your existing tree but we will deal with that if it survives.
You are not alone in losing a treasure through lack of knowledge.
Good luck