How to move a Bay Tree?

[Forget-me-Not]

Hi,

We've just discovered that we shall at last be moving from SW England to NE Scotland before Christmas.

I've read that more and more people move plants as well as their garden stuff. I have a Bay tree that's about 10 foot tall with a trunk measuring almost 2 inches square. It was a £3.99 specimen from B & Q about 4 years ago. It stands in the middle of my herb bed. I would love to take it up and re-plant it but not sure a, quite how and b, whether it would either pretty much definitely die in transit or die from the cold up there. We shouldn't be near the coast. Am I mad??? Has anyone else done this?

Thanks Beth

[Snadger]

Thay are reputed to be less than hardy!

I've moved my small pot grown specimen into the greenhouse for the winter..............just in case!

Good luck with yours! As I see it it has two chances, but you will deffinately not get any benefit from it leaving it where it is!

[rustylady]

Yours does sound a bit big to be moving. I have one in a large pot outside the back door but it is kept fairly small (3 - 4 feet tall) by pruning for use and has so far proved hardy in East Anglia. At that size, I think I would leave yours where it is and invest in a new one when you get settled in Scotland. I don't think they're particularly tender, but they do suffer from cold winds so the leaves drop.

[Forget-me-Not]

Hi,
Thanks for your advice. I wasn't actually aware that they aren't so hardy. Mine seems positively virile!!! I wish everything else grew so well. I suppose when it comes down to it, it depends on the moving space we have left and if a potential housebuyer falls in love with it, then anything's worth a quick sale. Thanks again.
Beth

[Flummery]

Mine is growing in open ground in a rather windy spot in East Yorkshire and seems to be as tough as old boots. I hack it back regularly for church flower arranging purposes and it comes back, flowers (teeny inconspicuous white things) and generally seems well settled. It was grown in a pot for about 5 years and when we moved here 8 years ago I decided the time had come for it to go in the ground. It's never looked back. You might successfully move yours but I don't know how it will do in NE Scotland!

[moggssue]

I successfully moved my bay tree from Cheshire to Bucks two years ago - it was about 5foot tall and I took it from the garden into a huge pot, where it still remains and seems to be flourishing perfectly happily. Yours is quite a bit bigger though, not sure you could get up a large enough root ball? still, give it a go, what have you got to lose except a bit of digging time?

[Winged one]

Or if you don't think you will move it, you could dry a big bunch of the leaves now to use until you get a new one growing.

I wonder - could you take a few cuttings of your old tree to make a new tree for scotland? Just that 10 foot sounds very large to move to me. But it might be nice to have something of the old one (assuming that bay can b grown from cuttings - I haven't a clue about that, just musing aloud).

[Forget-me-Not]

Hi,

Thanks for replies. Haven't been to Grapevine for a month or so due to intensive freshening up of paintwork and bathroom suite replacing, in order to sell house. (Forgot password.) The house sold quickly thank god and this week had offer acepted on Scottish house, due to move mid December. Last night I was filling in the 'included in sale' form for this house. Decided after much pottering and chuntering that I would leave the tree. Really excited about new garden and bigger old greenhouse with power!!!! Yippee!! Leaving smaller old plastic one here. It will be a challange to grown a new tree. Love my old one but maybe I should not disturb 'her,' as she's so happy.

Thanks again though. Will keep all posted when I start again up there.

Regards
Beth

[andrewo]

I would take some cuttings, and then you can have a bay hedge.

[Marylou]

I would like to take some cuttings from my bay tree which lives in a large pot on the patio all year round. Can anyone advise when is the best time to take cuttings of bay? Should they be "hardwood" or "softwood" cuttings? Do I need to use a heated propagator, or will they be O.K. in a cold greenhouse?

[Forget-me-Not]

Hi,

Just got back to the Bay Tree thread. I would love to take some cuttings but not sure how. Tried to two years ago but they died immediately. Now my gardening books are packed ready for move. Does anyone have any pointers please??? Am absolutely new to cuttings of any kind. On this note my youngest daughter has a possibly two foot holly tree growing n the garden, fairly unnoticeable to buyers. Would this be easy to move up??

Thanks
Beth

[marialittlebzz]

Here is the advice from my father (myself I never did cutting yet) :
take some cuttings from the fresh part of branches (from the year), then take out all the leaves from half of it ( the part you will put on the soil)
the rest of the leaves have to be cut with a scissors, half of it, literally give it a hair cut!
then to maximize your chance, you can use some rooting hormones, that you apply on the part that will go in the compost...
keep it moist and warm, and better to live in a dark place for a week to stimulate root growth. Daddy told me that you can do that with every hardy plants GOOD LUCK!