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Plante

Dark green bay leaves seen from below against a blue sky with scattered clouds

Bay laurel

Laurus nobilis

Dense, aromatic evergreen foliage that clips into globes, cones or hedges and flavours the kitchen.

Light
Full sun
Water
Little water
Care
Intermediate
Heat
High heat
Pets
Mildly toxic

At a glance

Botanical name
Laurus nobilis
Also known as
Laurier-sauce · Laurier noble · Bay laurel · Bay tree · Rand · ورق الغار
Mature height
300 to 800 cm
Growth
Moderate growth
Environments
Outdoor · Terrace · Garden · Balcony
Pets
Mildly toxic to pets

Care

What this plant needs

For each area, the instruction specific to this plant, then the general principle that explains why.

Water

For this plant

Weekly watering in pots in summer, fortnightly in the ground. It forgives lapses once rooted.

The principle

A low need means a clear dry-then-wet cycle. Wait until the top two thirds of the substrate are dry, water until it runs from the base, then empty the saucer ten minutes later. Permanently moist soil suffocates roots far faster than dryness starves them.

Light

For this plant

Sun or half-shade. It keeps a good green even against a north-facing wall.

The principle

Full sun means six hours or more of direct light a day. These plants build thick foliage and dense tissue to cope with it; in insufficient light they stretch, lengthen their internodes and lose their compact habit. After buying or repotting, reintroduce direct sun gradually over ten to fifteen days to avoid scorch.

Feeding

For this plant

Organic feed in spring, especially for clipped potted specimens.

The principle

Moderate growth is fed once a month from March to September with a balanced liquid feed at the maker's dose. Water with plain water first, then feed: on dry substrate, concentrated fertiliser burns the fine roots. Nothing from October to February, the resting period.

Temperature

For this plant

Hardy to −10 °C, indifferent to heat. A fleece protects young shoots during late frosts in Meknes.

The principle

Good heat tolerance means the summers of Marrakech, Fez or Béni Mellal pose no problem as long as water follows. Days above 38 °C call for early-morning watering and, in a pot, protection of the west-facing wall: the root ball can reach 50 °C before the plant shows anything at all.

Yearly rhythm

Indicative calendar

Calendar derived from the plant's profile — water need, heat tolerance, environment and growth rate — applied to the Moroccan climate; adjust it to your city, your exposure and your substrate.

Indicative twelve-month care calendar
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
WateringWatering in January: ReducedWatering in February: ReducedWatering in March: ReducedWatering in April: ReducedWatering in May: ReducedWatering in June: RegularWatering in July: RegularWatering in August: RegularWatering in September: RegularWatering in October: ReducedWatering in November: ReducedWatering in December: Reduced
FeedingFeeding in January: Nothing to doFeeding in February: Nothing to doFeeding in March: ReducedFeeding in April: RegularFeeding in May: RegularFeeding in June: RegularFeeding in July: RegularFeeding in August: RegularFeeding in September: ReducedFeeding in October: Nothing to doFeeding in November: Nothing to doFeeding in December: Nothing to do
PruningPruning in January: Nothing to doPruning in February: RegularPruning in March: RegularPruning in April: Nothing to doPruning in May: Nothing to doPruning in June: Nothing to doPruning in July: Nothing to doPruning in August: Nothing to doPruning in September: Nothing to doPruning in October: Nothing to doPruning in November: Nothing to doPruning in December: Nothing to do
IntensityNothing to doReducedRegularSustained

Morocco

Where this plant thrives in Morocco

Our observations city by city, crossed with the local climate. A city that is missing is not a refusal: it simply has not been documented for this plant yet.

Thrives

  • Rabatcoastal · moderate humidity · 33 °C in summer, 6 °C in winter
  • Tangiercoastal · humid air · 31 °C in summer, 8 °C in winter
  • Casablancacoastal · moderate humidity · 33 °C in summer, 7 °C in winter
  • Fezinland · dry air · 42 °C in summer, 2 °C in winter
  • Tetouancoastal · humid air · 32 °C in summer, 7 °C in winter

Well suited

  • Meknesinland · dry air · 41 °C in summer, 2 °C in winter
  • Kenitracoastal · moderate humidity · 36 °C in summer, 5 °C in winter
  • Marrakechinland · dry air · 45 °C in summer, 4 °C in winter
  • Agadircoastal · moderate humidity · 34 °C in summer, 8 °C in winter
  • Oujdainland · dry air · 41 °C in summer, 1 °C in winter
  • Mohammediacoastal · moderate humidity · 32 °C in summer, 7 °C in winter

Possible with care

  • Beni Mellalinland · dry air · 43 °C in summer, 3 °C in winter

We deliver to all of these cities.

Diagnosis

Three signals worth reading

The three most common disorders on a plant with this profile, and the move that corrects them.

  1. 1

    What you see

    Lower leaves turning yellow and dropping at the slightest touch while the surface still feels fresh.

    Likely cause

    Watering too close together: the roots never get to breathe between two doses.

    The right move

    Switch to a clear cycle — dry through two thirds of the depth, then a thorough watering with full drainage. Always empty the saucer and raise the pot on feet if needed.

  2. 2

    What you see

    Stems stretching towards the window, long internodes, new leaves smaller and paler.

    Likely cause

    Not enough light. A full-sun plant three metres from a window receives less than a tenth of what it asks for.

    The right move

    Move it to the brightest glazing or out onto a balcony, reacclimatising it to direct sun over two weeks. Cut back the stretched shoots: it will regrow compact.

  3. 3

    What you see

    Lower leaves dropping and tips browning in the weeks after a move or a change of season.

    Likely cause

    Adaptation stress: the plant is adjusting its foliage to a new quantity of light.

    The right move

    Change nothing for a month — no repotting, no feeding, no moving. Keep watering regular and remove only the leaves that are entirely dry.

Two clipped standard bay trees framing a wooden door in a golden stone facade

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Journal

Further reading on this plant

The journal articles that mention it.