Gertens Plant Finder

Other Names:  Bay Laurel, Bay Leaf

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

A dense, compact variety, featuring highly aromatic, dark green foliage emerging from red tinged stems; leaves can be used as a culinary herb; may be pruned to any shape and size; great as a small tree, hedge, or container plant

Ornamental Features

Little Ragu® Sweet Bay has attractive forest green foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges yellow in spring on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain forest green throughout the winter. The brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Little Ragu® Sweet Bay is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Little Ragu® Sweet Bay is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Topiary
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Little Ragu® Sweet Bay will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant will benefit from an application of bonemeal and/or mycorrhizal fertilizer at the time of planting. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Little Ragu® Sweet Bay makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.