1 Standard Bay Tree | Potted Patio Tree | Laurus nobilis | 75cm Tall | Plant for Front Door |

Product Information

Refresh the compost in spring – either by repotting entirely or replacing the top few inches with fresh compost

We advise that you withhold water for a couple of days in advance to allow the soil to dry out slightly. Bay trees are the classic evergreen trees for containers. Nothing looks smarter than a pair of standard bay trees on either side of a front door. Bays clip well and can be trained as topiary, so you could equally well have pyramids, cones or spirals beside your entrance. The aromatic leaves can be used in cooking, so a container-grown bay is much more than just an ornamental tree. 6. Holly Bays are evergreen trees and while it is normal for them to drop a couple of their leaves here and there make sure to keep an eye on it if the issue starts to get worse. OverwateringThroughout history, the bay has been honoured and revered for its aromatic properties and mystical origins. Potted trees can’t access nutrients in the same way that trees in the ground can, so feed regularly in the growing season Although best known for their towering height ( Italian cypress can grow to 20 metres tall, Leylandii cypress to 40 metres), conifer trees come in all sizes, including extra small. A neat dwarf pine, cedar, cypress or juniper tree is perfect for popping in a pot to bring a calming evergreen presence to a patio. Place in part shade and avoid full sun to prevent the foliage from scorching. 5. Bay It has romantic associations and is often given as a Wedding or Valentine’s gift. ‘To ensure love will last, the couple should break off a twig and break it in two, each keeping a half.

Conduct the hard pruning of your bay tree in the springtime. This is the best time to get the initial shaping in for the tree. Once the tree starts in the growing season you may need to get another lighter pruning done in the summer just to neaten up the shape. Just like other potted plants, pot grown bay trees have restricted access to water, so will need to be watered regularly in hot or dry periods. Bay trees can produce tiny little yellow flowers. To produce any fruits, the female tree needs to be pollinated so if there is only one tree then it may never produce fruits. If you live in a particularly cold area then we suggest moving the tree to an unheated greenhouse or conservatory to protect it from extreme temperatures and frost. Easy to maintain, these bay trees enjoy moist, but well-drained soil, positioned in full sun or partial shade.English holly is another option for a front door tree grown in a pot. The traditional lollipop shape looks handsome in suitably large containers beside a front porch or stationed in a courtyard. If you want to enjoy bright red winter berries as well as glossy green foliage, choose a female tree, or plant several trees to ensure pollination. Japanese holly is worth considering, too: it grows well in containers and clips easily to shape (it's often used as an alternative to Box as it’s resistant to blight). Best fruit trees in pots Bay trees become hungry during their growing season and may need some slow-release fertiliser. Start adding slow-release fertiliser granules throughout spring or summer or by adding a layer of organic matter (mulch) to the topsoil. This will allow for the nutrients to penetrate the soil slowly for the tree to use. Avoid using any fast, liquid fertilisers on your bay tree. According to the proverb, ‘To be happy for a year, get married; to be happy for life, plant a garden'. A well-chosen tree makes the perfect finishing flourish, and by planting trees in a pot, it is perfectly possible for even a balcony-sized garden to enjoy its many benefits. Container-grown trees make an attractive focal point and add variety, height, colour and even fruit to the garden. For ‘Generation Rent’, a pot-grown tree has the added flexibility of being able to move with you. Best small trees for pots Once trained by our specialists in the nursery, maintaining this shape should be easy, plus growing them will also provide you with a supply of fresh and fragrant bay leaves - what a treat!

Leaf spots - often caused by waterlogged roots, or wet weather conditions. Plants in containers are also very prone to this, usually indicating that the compost has become old and tired. Repot your plant in spring into fresh, well-drained compost. They will have two useful figures on their label: standard size (e.g., 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 4/4) and head size (e.g., 35-40cm, 60-65cm). Standard size: this indicates the height to which the trunk has been cleared before the foliage head begins (based on bay tree guidelines). A half standard, then, will have less trunk height than a full standard. After this first repotting your tree will need to be repotted every few years as it continues to grow and deplete the nutrients in the potting soil. If the tree is too large to re-pot, you could refresh the potting soil by replacing up to 50% of the old soil with fresh.Unlike standard bay trees, pyramid bay trees will just have their height indicated on their plant label (e.g., 100-110cm; 120-130cm). Shaped bay trees are very slow-growing, but over time they can reach a significant size — more than 10 metres in height and 5 metres in width. For those who prefer their tree to remain smaller, topiary bays are extremely popular. These are usually grown in containers, positioned around front doors to frame an entrance or on patios as an architectural statement. The most frequently found forms are lollipop-shaped ‘standard’ bays. Alternatively, there are pyramid-shaped trees, akin to a softer version of a Christmas tree.