There are few thing more iconic to the Mediterranean region than bay laurel . Its wreaths adorn the heads of papistic gods and general . Potted honour baby-sit outside the room access of romish citizen in historical painting and mosaics . This traditional shrub serves a myriad of intent in the garden , kitchen , craft elbow room , and medicine cabinet .
Origin
Bay Laurel is an evergreen plant , deciduous shrub . Its prominent feature is its waxy redolent leaves . Native to the Mediterranean , Laurel Nobilis is spatter throughout Greek , Roman , and Biblical culture . Around 10,000 age ago , the nifty laurel forest that once covered much of the Mediterranean basin retreated as the climate dry . It ’s found unremarkably as an cosmetic plant , hedge , and topiary .
Growing Bay Laurel
Laurel grows sound in USDA hardiness zones 8 - 11 . It prefers soils on the acidic side and can defy a slight drouth , although a deficiency of water system leave it vulnerable to disease . Outside of these zone laurel does extremely well in containers , where it can be actuate and protected from temperature extremes . Native to jumpy gradient , container mixtures of one part cactus mix and one part pot soil seem to work well .
Bay is an extremely deadening growing plant , ingest between 10 - 30 years to bloom . Once mature enough , it will flower in the spring . prime are pretty but invisible . Female plants give rise dark purplish berries that are used as a fragrance , medicinal . They are a favorite snack among birds .
Harvesting Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel leaf is a staple fiber spice in kitchen around the orb today . use up bracing it savour acrimonious , but those compounds are eliminated through drying . Typically , one or two dried bay leaves are tot to a sauce , stew , roast , or other dish whole and then removed after cooking . Leaves of the bay laurel can be glean at any fourth dimension . Older and tougher leaf tend to be bolder in nip than untested leaves .
Common Problems
For the most part Bay bay wreath is hardy and easy to care for . Some occasional disease or pest problems associated with Bay Laurel are :
When indoors in a container disease problem are minimal . Powdery mould is a plebeian issue in moist climate with both potted plants or plant in the ground . Typically this is a seasonal problem that resolves itself when experimental condition improve . Woody Decay is a decompose fungus usually transmit through wounds in the plant leaves or light-green wood . Keeping plants healthy and intact will forestall radioactive decay .
Armored Scales are flyspeck crush insects that confiscate themselves to your leafage . The creation of predatory louse like parasitic wasps or lacewing will keep populations in bank check . Borers are as they fathom , insects that burrow their way into the wood to put down nut . They wound younger flora , but will not kill constitute laurel plants . Prune infested branch to keep them from spread .
