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Growing Bay Tree in container
SWAli
Posts: 7
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I've recently moved house and am missing my bay tree! I had HUGE one outside my front door in the old house. I have a very small garden in the new place and am worried that if I plant a Bay tree in the ground, it will take over and grow 9m high. However I know I'm not amazing at looking after things in pots so my question is this - can I sink a container in the ground and grow it in that to contain the size? What sort of aftercare would I need to do?
Thank you!
0
Posts
That would be a solution but you would still have to make sure that you kept the pot watered as it will not be quite as good as just planting the tree in the ground.
A plant in a pot in the ground needs just as much care as a plant in a pot above the ground.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've got a bay tree in a pot. I inherited it from my mother. She was ill for a few years and the tree sat on a sunny patio unfed, unwatered and unpruned (it's a lollipop type) for all of that time and for a couple of years more after she died. It eventually arrived here, rather crispy round the edges. I watered it, gave it a little seaweed food, pruned off the dead leaves. It's growing fine. It needs potting on, but that can't be done yet a while for reasons I won't bore you with.
So once established (and that is probably a key point), they are pretty resilient. I'm sure it would be better not completely neglected, but if you think you can remember to water it maybe once a month in dry weather and give it a trim and a feed annually, I expect it would survive well enough as long as it's out of the wind.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Thank you for that help all of you. So slightly different question- if I planted a lollipop Bay in the ground, how hard would it be to keep it small?
The main problem will be keeping it a lollipop. If you pick it regularly, prune out the shoots from the roots regularly and clip it a couple of times a year, you can probably keep it small. But if you're up for all that, you definitely going to be able to keep one in a pot
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Thank you raisongirl. Very helpful!
Hi. I have had a Bay tree in a fairly large pot for a number of years. Often forget to water it and feed it. The one thing if doesn't like in my garden is wind and direct sun, so I have it in a sheltered spot down the garden and it is fantastic.
I originally had it growing in the ground and it (and several other people's) all started to lose leaves and look quite ill. Moved it to the pot it is in now and hey presto!