In summer, your bay tree will be growing much more vigorously and pushing out lots of new growth. This means it may need a bit of light additional pruning to ensure it maintains a good shape. How to Prune a Bay Tree Pruning: Prune in spring and summer for shape. Conduct any hard pruning in spring with lighter pruning in summer. An ideal evergreen topiary tree that can be clipped into a wide variety of shapes. Yellow leaves - older leaves will shed naturally in low numbers. Nutrient deficiency can be the problem in container-grown plants but is more commonly caused by waterlogged compost or cold weather damage. Plants have to work hard in small gardens, and trees are no exception. Evergreen trees are good value as their foliage offers year-round interest, screening and structure. Here are some top evergreen trees that can be grown successfully in containers. 4. Dwarf conifers

Bay trees become hungry during their growing season and may need some slow-release fertiliser. Start adding slow-release fertiliser granules throughout spring or summer or by adding a layer of organic matter (mulch) to the topsoil. This will allow for the nutrients to penetrate the soil slowly for the tree to use. Avoid using any fast, liquid fertilisers on your bay tree.

Best trees in pots for screening

Bay trees are hardy down to around -5°C, however, as soon as temperatures drop close to 0°C we recommend moving your tree to somewhere more sheltered. After this first repotting your tree will need to be repotted every few years as it continues to grow and deplete the nutrients in the potting soil. If the tree is too large to re-pot, you could refresh the potting soil by replacing up to 50% of the old soil with fresh. In the short term, underwatering will be much less harmful than overwatering, so always be modest with the watering can! Bay trees can produce tiny little yellow flowers. To produce any fruits, the female tree needs to be pollinated so if there is only one tree then it may never produce fruits.

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. compost or a liquid feed every two weeks from mid-spring to late summer Head size: this indicates the width of the foliage head in cm. A 35-40cm standard bay, then, will have a smaller width of foliage than a 60-65cm standard bay.

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Growing a tree in a pot is a bit like having a pet, as your tree will depend on you for its care. Regular watering, feeding and pruning will keep potted trees in tip-top shape and, unlike a dog, at least won’t have to worry about taking it on walks! Here are some of the key points to bear in mind when caring for trees in pots: