Other Names:  Bay Laurel, Bay Leaf

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

An ornamental selection, with leathery, glossy yellow new foliage that eventually matures to green; leaves can also be used as a culinary herb; may be pruned to any shape and size; great as a hedge, screen, or container plant; an excellent houseplant

Ornamental Features

Sicilian Sunshine® Sweet Bay has attractive forest green-variegated gold foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges yellow in spring on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain gold throughout the winter. It features subtle chartreuse flowers at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring. It produces plum purple berries in early summer. The brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Sicilian Sunshine® Sweet Bay is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sicilian Sunshine® Sweet Bay is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Sicilian Sunshine® Sweet Bay will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more. This is a dioecious species, meaning that individual plants are either male or female. Only the females will produce fruit, and a male variety of the same species is required nearby as a pollinator.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Sicilian Sunshine® Sweet Bay makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.