Definitely a spring-ish feel in the air today, as a miserable and forsaken January finally disappeared over the horizon. 

Jobs today included replenishing the compost in pots containing Bay trees (Laurus nobilis), and adding some slow-release feed as well to give them a tonic. It’s simply a matter of loosening and removing the top couple of inches of compost in the pot, along with any moss or annual weeds that have insinuated themselves. Then scatter a handful of slow-release fertiliser (I favour granulated Vitax Q4), and top the pot back up with fresh peat-free compost. Be careful to make sure that any roots you’ve exposed get covered back up again.

Bays have a tendency to sucker enthusiastically, so this is a good opportunity to pull out any suckers nice and low down. If they come away with some root, then they can always be potted up and allowed to grown on to create more Bay trees for other spots in the garden. 

At the Almshouses, before I arrived, a mighty Bay tree was felled. This was celebrated by the residents, as it suddenly allowed sunlight into a large section of the gardens hitherto shaded out by the evergreen monster. However, the stump was left in, and compost heaped over it to create a (sort of) rockery. Of course the Bay root can’t believe its luck and sends up thickets of suckers, which need pulling up more or less constantly, as it snuggles under its warm, fertile blanket! Needless to say, whenever we have an Open Day and a Plant Sale, there will be plenty of Bay to sell…