Bay trees

[poppinpink]

Novice gardener here! Can anyone tell me what has happened to my bay trees?! I've put them through the plant ID app and it's coming up with a few different things- too dry, which I don't think they are. Because it's winter and they are dormant? I don't remember this happening last year. Also that they have brown spot? Any help greatful my received!

Did you fleece them in cold spells? That looks like it might be frost damage. They're usually only hardy to around minus 5C in a pot, even if they're against a house wall, so they do need protection if you leave them outside over the winter.

Agree, it will be the cold. We had -12 before Christmas, and it really hit my neighbour's big one in their garden.

They aren't particularly hardy in the UK climate I'm afraid, and probably need to be in a cold greenhouse over winter.

Thanks for your help, I was swaying towards that as they seem to be worse on the outside whereas the side at the house has more green. Do you think they will recover?

Spring is a good time to prune them back so I would cut off all the brown and damaged leaves. It might look a bit bare but it should come back, but only time will tell.

Mine is the same! OK, worse. And doesn't have a better side.
I agree that it is the much colder cold that we had this year. I've previously never covered potted Bay trees and they're done just fine, but this year did get so much colder.

I suspect mine is a goner, but I an eagerly examining it for signs of life.

Our potted bays have always seemed fairly hardy in terms of being able to withstand damage so I think they'll recover with a good prune and a little bit of TLC.

They are reasonably tough, if they’re in a pot, it’s often the roots that get frozen and the plant suffers.
They respond well to pruning, I’ve an 2m high one that gets a haircut every year. It’s also very easy to take cuttings, in the summer just snip off the end of a branch, about 6cms near leaf node, remove all but the last two leaves and immediately plant it in a pot. Place it in a sheltered spot, make sure it doesn’t dry out and by next spring it should have made roots.

It looks like lack of water to the top growth which can mean 1) soil too dry 2) soil too wet so roots rot 3) soil frozen so no available water. Since it’s in a pot, 3) sounds quite likely.

I’ve not lost a bay tree through cold weather in 30 years, so I’ve come to the conclusion that it may be the small ones (like yours) that are tender. When I bought this house, the previous owner gesticulated at the 3m bay tree by the back door and said “sometimes it get cuts back by the frost but it always comes back from the roots”

They aren't particularly hardy in the UK climate I'm afraid, and probably need to be in a cold greenhouse over winter. That’s not my experience. I’ve only overwintered them in a greenhouse in their first year from cuttings. I’m in a frost pocket 400ft above sea level in Yorkshire.

Mine are like this too. It’s cold damage. Wait til late April/ early May when all frosts should have finished then scrape a little bit of each stem/ branch. If you find they are green prune back to there, feed really well and hopefully they should show some regrowth. Hopefully 😂

Is it in a fairly windy spot? Wind can be very drying. I live in a very cold, windy area but my bay trees do pretty well and I think this is because they are sheltered from the wind.

They've been frosted.