What to do with an old bay tree?

The tall bay tree

One the joys(?) of taking on a mature garden is deciding what to do with well-established trees and shrubs.

My garden is home to a bay tree. It was probably around 4 metres high when I arrived, neatly trimmed into a pyramid. Three years later, after minimal interference, it's heading towards 5 metres and the diameter, at the base, has almost doubled.

So what should I do with this lovely but now huge tree? According to the RHS website, the tree, Laurus nobilis, still has some way to go before achieving its maximum height of 9 metres, so I need to do something before it gets much taller.

For lots of reasons, action is needed. At its widest point, the base, the tree takes up too much space, almost blocking the footpath that runs beside it. And after this year's moderate success with potatoes, I'm also considering extending the vegetable patch and the tree is in the prime location for that.

How hard should I prune the bay tree?

My current thoughts are to give the tree a hard prune, significantly reducing its width, and perhaps lopping something off the top.

Advice on hard pruning is mixed. The RHS website says that bay trees can be cut back firmly, but they are slow to recover and the process should be spread over two or three years. GardenSeeker.com states that mature bay trees can be cut back as hard as required. The writer talks of cutting back untended trees that have reached 10 metres height and an 8 metre spread.

I want to achieve a smaller shrub that's still interesting to look at, being in direct line of sight from the kitchen window. But it needs to take up a lot less space on the ground, giving me more room for growing vegetables.

Uses of bay leaves

Another reason for keeping the bay, other than its evergreen interest, is for its leaves. I admit to not having used any yet, although I have supplied plenty to a family member keen on cooking.

I want the plants in my garden to be productive as well as attractive, so I intended to make more use of bay leaves in future. They're a useful ingredient, both fresh and dried, and the BBC website has a useful list of recipes that include bay leaves.

I must look at how to start using my bay leaves in the meals prepared in the Wyke Garden kitchen. But before then - where are my shears?