Laurel: complete guide

Overview

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), also called sweet bay or true laurel, is an ancient culinary plant from the Mediterranean region that via Greeks and Romans has come into our kitchen gardens. This is the plant whose leaves are used in cooking for stocks, casseroles and marinades - one of the most essential herbs in European cuisine. Simultaneously, laurel is also a beautiful, slow-growing ornamental shrub with glossy, dark green foliage that forms naturally elegant geometric shapes year-round.

Bay laurel grows slowly to moderately large - usually 2–4 metres in unrestricted forms, though topiary specimens remain much smaller. This means a single plant will serve your garden for decades. The leaves are lance-shaped, 4–10 cm long, firm and leathery, with a pleasant, peppery scent. With gardenworld.app you can create a Mediterranean garden design where bay laurel acts as focal point or topiary specimen, combined with rosemary, thyme and olive.