text: HUGE Bay tree — BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
  HUGE Bay tree
  robert_s_myers Posts: 11
  Hi there GW,
  I have a Huge Bay tree in my garden. It is about 40ft high and wide. It has the main trunk ( around 30cm diameter) and 2 trunks??. It's blocking lots of light and dropping leaves all the time. Any advice? I don't really want to get rid. A "professional" gardener said to take off the 2 smaller trunks and cut the whole thing down by half. I thought this would leave it with no leaves but he said it would grow again in the spring. Advice please
  Its the big fella in the corner
  Start selling bay leaves? 🙂
  i think these have more of a 'London' taste
  From the photo, it doesn't look that big, are you sure it is a bay tree? And is it actually in your property or next door? Bay trees (or at least the one we had) are pretty tough and do regenerate so you could chop off the two smaller trunks. It won't look good if the top is chopped off but it's your choice. It also has a habit of suckering, so be warned.
  yeah its a bay. its about 40 Feet high. Growing over the fence. Whats Suckering?
  So a lop off the top is ok? I was told it would look ugly till the spring. Until then it will just be a trunk and some branches.
  Bay trees are evergreen so it shouldn't be dropping leaves all the time. Sometimes evergreens drop their old leaves in the spring though. Personally I would just have the smaller trunks cut right down to the ground and leave the main one. Suckering means lots of little bay trees growing from the roots of the main plant and need to be cut off asap.
  its a bit tall though, even with the sides off. oh well, off with its head
  Chop it down, have a really nice smelling bonfire and then plant a native holly tree in it's place.
  The bay trees in London should have a great taste too. My neighbours leave large bunches out for passers by to take if they wish.