North Shore Plant Club
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
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| Evergreen Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) Conical, Pyramidal in the Lauraceae Family | |
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Laurus nobilis (Bay Laurel, Sweet Bay) is a slow-growing, aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub native to the Mediterranean region, long cultivated both as the classic culinary bay leaf and as a handsome, easily shaped landscape and container plant. Its leathery, glossy dark green leaves release a warm, spicy fragrance when bruised. Small clusters of pale yellow-green flowers appear in spring, followed (on female plants, since the species is dioecious) by small dark purple-black berries. |
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ConsThis plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live. |
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| Why Like | Bay Laurel grows wild and naturalizes freely across the Mediterranean basin, from coastal scrub and ravines to open woodland, where its glossy, leathery foliage stays evergreen through mild winters. The plant has been prized since antiquity -- its leaves crowned victors and poets in ancient Greece and Rome, giving us words like "laureate" and "baccalaureate." |
Plant Data | |
| Mature Size | 10 - 30 feet tall. 5 - 20 feet wide. |
| Sun Exposure | Partial Shade - Full Sun |
| Moisture Tolerance | Medium |
| Zones | 8a - 10b (Usually hardy to 10° F) |
| Tags | Evergreen, Full Sun, Herb, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial |
| Bloom Period | March to May |
| Flower Color | Pale Yellow-Green |
More Info from Experts |
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Pricing and Availability HistoryClick a label to toggle visibility for that size
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Past Availability2025 : 02/05 - 03/08 |
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We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!
Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.
Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.
The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.
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Membership is free, but — since we rely on delivery and local pick-up — you have to live near one of our hubs (or be willing to drive to a site to pick them up). If you live farther away, and would like to help us bring the club to your neighbors, please email helpusgrow@northshoreplantclub.com.
To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.
The next order is coming up soon. Here's a link to our ordering calendar. Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!
We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.
Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!