Bay Trees

Bay trees can be a wonderful addition to any yard, and for those interested in sustainable living, their leaves can be used year after year as garnishes or herbs to enhance the flavor and aesthetics of many entrees.

Laurus nobilis, or the bay laurel tree, can grow to be 35 feet tall if planted in a yard or area where it has room to grow large and tall. However, the tree can also be planted in a small pot in a kitchen. It will stay smaller this way, but it will produce bay leaves that are conveniently within reach. Bay leaves produce a neverending supply of natural herbs that perfectly accent many meats and vegetables.

The small, black berries from a bay tree may be harvested for both their essential and fatty oils. The tree also produces yellow-green flowers. The extract from the leaves of bay trees can be useful as diuretics or to treat earaches and high blood pressure.

Leaves from the bay tree were used in ancient Greece to create the laurel wreath, which winners of the Pythian Games wore. The wreath symbolized nobility and status. The bay tree leaf is also featured on the state flags of Peru and the Dominican Republic.

Serenata offers the Laurus nobilis, and they are great as gifts or as treasures that are perfect for yards and gardens. The bay trees are imported from Sicily, which is known to have the most beautiful trees of this kind in the world. Some varieties of these trees have what is called a corkscrew stem, which resembles a long corkscrew traveling upward into the leaves and branches at the top of the tree. Bay trees are treasures that are featured in culture, religion and on the kitchen table in a favorite stew or turkey dinner.