Bay Laurel hedging plants, Laurus nobilis (also known as Bay Tree or Sweet Bay) make a handsome evergreen tree that stands clipping very well making it a popular topiary plant that can also be a useful hedging species.
The leathery evergreen leaves are strongly aromatic and are used in many cookery recipes either fresh or dried. Bay trees produce many clusters of yellowish flowers during the Spring just before the new leaves emerge, these will develop into small shining black fruits later in the season.
Bay Laurel hedging plants can be clipped to any size from around 1 metre to over three metres in height. Laurus nobilis is an easy hedge to grow but they must have well drained soil and being a plant from the Mediterranean, we would recommend a sunny sheltered spot otherwise the plants may be damaged by cold Winter winds and late Spring frosts.
Bay Laurel is one of the best evergreen hedges to grow by the sea, these bushy evergreens love the mild maritime climate and yet seem practically immune to the salt spray and strong winds.
Bay Laurel is a slower growing type of Laurel hedge, typically growing at a rate of 15-30cm per year making this a low maintenance evergreen hedge.
The best time to trim Bay Laurel hedging plants and topiary specimens in in the late Spring when the worst of the winter weather is past, by trimming at this time of year the centre of the plant remains more protected by the previous year’s growth during the coldest months.
The number of Bay Laurel hedging plants needed depends on whether you plan to plant a single or double row hedge, the size of Bay Laurel hedging that you choose and how patient you are!
For a single row hedge, we would recommend 3 plants per metre, for a thicker and denser hedge that develops more quickly 5 plants per metre will give excellent results. You can of course use fewer plants and still get excellent results, it will just take longer.
Bay Laurel hedging plants are always pot grown, delivered to you in their pots fresh from our growing beds. Because there is no root disturbance Bay Laurel hedging can be planted all year round. Bay hedging plants are a species that is not available as bare root or root ball plants, unfortunately they just don’t establish from these root types.
When planting a new Bay Laurel hedge, we would advise removing all perennial weeds and digging the site over thoroughly, improving the soil with some well-rotted compost or manure if needed. If your proposed hedge planting site does not have good drainage, now would be the time to improve it with some grit or sharp sand mixed into the soil. If this does not remedy the drainage you would be better to choose an alternative species from our evergreen hedges page as Bay really does need good drainage to stay healthy.
When planting a hedge of any species we always recommend using Bonemeal fertiliser and Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi to give your new hedging the very best start. If you aren’t certain how to prepare the site and plant, we have a useful guide on our How to plant a hedge page. We will also send a printed copy in with your plants when they are delivered.
If you have any other questions about our Laurus nobilis Bay Laurel hedging or would like a special quote for a larger quantity of plants, please call our experienced hedging sales team on 01580 765600 or drop us a line through our contact page.
You may also find the following guides useful How To Make Your Laurel Grow Faster and Common Pests Diseases and Problems with Laurel Hedge Plants for more information on getting the best out of your Laurel Hedging Plants
Delivery leadtimes update- March/April 2024
We are working at maximum capacity to fulfil all orders as quickly as possible but owing to unprecedented demand some orders will take longer:
– Orders containing only bare root plants – delivery is currently within 5-7 days
– All other orders – delivery is currently within 2-3 weeks
Delivery is free for most orders above our free delivery thresholds, these are displayed above our prices in the product listings and summarized below. If you don’t need that many plants it’s not a problem, you can choose to pay our delivery charge and only order what you need.
Delivery is convenient – no signature is required so you don’t need to wait in, we will leave your parcel in the safe place that you nominate.
Delivery is fast – because we pick orders daily from our own growing beds your plants only travel the small hop to our packing shed before being sent to you, they are usually delivered within 3-7 days.
Delivery is reliable – we have been selling and delivering Hedging Plants to our customers nationwide since 1992. We have a lot of experience in packing them safely and only use tried and tested delivery partners.
Smaller Plants (Parcel Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £90 | £15.00 |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £90 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £24.00 |
Heavy Plants (Pallet Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Up to £420 | £72.00 |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £420 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | £72.00 |
Tall Plants 2.5m+ (Specialist Delivery)
| Location | Order Value | Price |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Under £1800 | Please call us |
| UK Mainland excluding Highlands | Over £1800 | Free |
| Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight | All orders | Not available |
Exceptions to our delivery charges are Scottish Highland and Isle of Wight delivery areas where we need to charge a little extra to cover the cost of deliveries to these outlying areas. We don’t currently delivery to other offshore addresses including Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
Tall plants over 2.5 metres have to be delivered by our own specialised transport, our delivery area is limited to mainland England and Wales only.
Please note there is a minimum order value of £50 for orders containing smaller plants and £250 for orders containing heavier plants
Complete delivery information can be viewed on our Delivery Information page
