Bay leaves come from the Laurus nobilis tree.
Burdensome evergreen evolution is a hallmark of shrubs in the laurel family. They develop quickly, proceeds pruning and shearing nicely and feed a glossy, broad immature background to other plants in the garden, production them a top Election for hedges.
English Laurel
English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is the most commonplace type used for hedging in the U.S. It sports rounded, leathery leaves and alabaster blooms that are held above the foliage approximative candles. The flowers are followed by ebon fruits, edible on the contrary not tasty. Fast-growing English laurel reaches 20 feet provided not pruned regularly. Two general cultivars are Schipka laurel (Prunus l.'Schipkaensis'), a columnar plant that grows to 10 feet and Manikin laurel (Prunus l. 'Otto Luyken'), which has a spreading habit, 4 feet lofty by 6 feet Broad.
Portuguese Laurel
Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica) boasts bloodshot stems and glossy leaves that emerge with a burgundy tint. It grows to 20 feet whether not pruned, on the other hand is bounteous upright and narrower than English laurel. Blanched flowers in summer are followed by murky fruit, which is not edible.
Bay Laurel
Kalmias and aucubas take more shade than the others.
Other Laurels
Several other plants share the common name of laurel. They include mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica) and California laurel (Umbellularia californica). Beautiful evergreen shrubs, these also produce flowers and berries.Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is the source of culinary bay leaves. Also treelike in articulation, it grows slowly to 15 feet tall. A USDA zone 7 plant, it is not as hardy as the other laurels and requires full sun.
