Kitchen Garden Forum

I have been given a bay tree by a neighbour which has grown out from a "ball" into a branched head.I would like to have a go at making it a ball again.How hard can I prune it back and when?
The stem is about three feet from the soil level to the junction with the first set of branches,of which there is a dozen or so,about eighteen inches long.
Any ideas and advice on how to go about this project would most appreciated.

Snookie, I think your bay tree can be quite readily returned to a ball shape. I would cut it well back, to the size and shape you want, but not until April/May when new growth starts. I would then repot it or at least. give it a new topping in the pot or feed it.

Don't gorget to wash any leaves you cut off, pat them dry and then freeze them to use them in cooking. They keep their aroma much better frozen than dried.

Bay trees are quite amenable to pruning. My father had one that was about 12 ft wide by 12 ft high and I reduced it to one fairly straight stem and clipped the top over a few months to a ball shape and it was fine. They do make suckers at the base rather readily though and you need to keep removing these.

Is your bay tree in open ground or in a pot? If it is in a pot, keep it in a sheltered place for the first year after pruning it so the new shoots don't get frosted or wind scorched, but they are quite tough when established.

Evening Monika and Plumpudding,
Thanks for the advice on the Bay Tree.