When to plant bay?
For the RHS, plant bay in March, April and May, once the soil starts to warm, and pick the leaves in any month. Campania, Sicily and Umbria have no sheet, and no month is written.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planting | The calendar marks March, April and May. Plant in spring, once the soil starts to warm, so it has the season to settle before winter. The leaves, evergreen, are picked in any month: the harvest calendar marks all twelve. Semi-ripe cuttings are taken in late summer, softwood cuttings in early summer. Layer in autumn. | Umbria's 2025 sheets do not include bay, and no month is written. | Campania has no bay chapter. Neither does Sicily. A month, and a temperature, are not written. |
| Spacing | A spacing in centimetres, on the page, is not written. In the ground it can reach at least 10 m (33 ft), and pruning keeps it lower. In a pot, start with a container just larger than the nursery one, and pot on about every two years. The compost is John Innes No 2 or No 3, with grit. Stake a standard for at least the first year. | Umbria does not write a spacing. | As in the north, until a southern guide writes its own spacing. A density in plants per hectare is not written. |
It wants soil that drains, in sun or partial shade, out of the wind. In a pot, in winter, move it if the cold is hard.
March, April and May, the twelve harvest months, late summer, early summer, the autumn layering, at least 10 m (33 ft), potting on about every two years and the first-year stake are from the RHS. Campania has no bay chapter. Neither does Sicily. Umbria 2025 does not name it. Rosemary, another evergreen for a permanent corner, is in when to plant rosemary. The months are in the March calendar, April and May.
March, April and May
The planting calendar marks March, April and May. The RHS puts it in the ground in spring, once the soil starts to warm, so it settles before winter. It wants a warm, sheltered spot, in sun or partial shade, and soil that drains. If the ground is poor, mix compost into the soil from the hole. Stake a standard for at least the first year. Through the first year, water in dry spells. After that, in the ground, the RHS does not water it.
Rosemary, which wants similar conditions, is in when to plant rosemary.
No month in the centre or the south
Campania, in the 2026 guide, has no bay chapter. Sicily, in the 2025 guide, neither. Umbria, in the 2025 sheets, does not name it. A planting month and a temperature are not written. March, April and May from the RHS still apply.
It is an evergreen shrub or small tree, with glossy dark leaves. If it is not trimmed too often, in spring it carries clusters of pale yellow flowers. In the ground it reaches at least 10 m (33 ft), and you keep it at the size you want. The pot is in the container garden.
Cuttings, and a pot you can move
The simpler route to a new plant is a cutting: semi-ripe in late summer, or softwood in early summer. Layering, a low branch pegged into the soil, is done in autumn and can take up to a year. Seed is slow. In a pot, use a container just larger than the nursery one, with John Innes No 2 or No 3 and some grit, and pot on about every two years. In winter, in colder areas, move the pot under cover. Sodden compost, especially in winter, rots the roots. Shorten long shoots in summer. A hard prune is better in mid- or late spring.
In crop rotation perennials stay outside the plan, in a permanent corner. Bay is one of those, and it stays there for years.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
When do I plant in the north?
The calendar marks March, April and May, in spring, once the soil starts to warm. Stake a standard for at least the first year. Through the first year, water in dry spells.
What dates do Campania, Sicily and Umbria write?
None. Campania 2026 has no chapter. Sicily 2025 neither. Umbria 2025 does not name it. March, April and May from the RHS still apply.
How far apart, and in a pot?
A spacing in centimetres is not written. In the ground it reaches at least 10 m, and pruning holds it in. In a pot, a container just larger than the nursery one, John Innes No 2 or No 3 with grit, potting on about every two years.
How do I propagate it?
Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, or softwood cuttings in early summer. Layer in autumn, which can take up to a year. Seed is slow. Pick the leaves in any month.
Do I replant it every year?
No. It is an evergreen. It stays outside the rotation of annual vegetables, in a permanent corner. In a pot, in colder areas, move it under cover in winter.