Bay tree winter care
Updated: 21 October 2026
A bay in a pot can die at the roots in a cold week while the same plant in the border only burns its tips. Bay tree winter care, for the pots in this set, starts at about −5°C: fleece the plant, wrap the pot, or move it to a greenhouse, porch, or cool room no warmer than about 10°C. The [bay laurel plant comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/bay-laurel-plant) is six young Carbeth plants in 9–13 cm pots, not a hardiness trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A bay in a pot can die at the roots in a cold week while the same plant in the border only burns its tips.
A bay in a pot can die at the roots in a cold week while the same plant in the border only burns its tips. Bay tree winter care, for the pots in this set, starts at about −5°C: fleece the plant, wrap the pot, or move it to a greenhouse, porch, or cool room no warmer than about 10°C. The bay laurel plant comparison is six young Carbeth plants in 9–13 cm pots, not a hardiness trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pot size | Form | Listed site | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Carbeth Plants Carbeth Plants Laurus Nobilis Bay Tree in 13cm Pot | 13 cm | Young plant; listing says bay tree | Indoor, outdoor | 8.6 | about £15.99 | View offer |
 Carbeth Plants Carbeth Plants 2 x Laurus Nobilis Bay Tree in 10cm Pot | 10 cm | Two young plants; listing mentions shaping into standards | Indoors or outdoors, sheltered | 8.7 | about £16.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Carbeth Plants Carbeth Plants Bay Laurel Plant Herb for Cooking in A 9cm Pot | 9 cm | Bushy evergreen shrub | Outdoor | 8.2 | about £11.99 | View offer |
Best value
Carbeth Plants Carbeth Plants Bay Laurel Plant Herb for Cooking in A 9cm Pot8.2/10about £11.99
On this page
The temperature that changes the plan
The RHS care guide says bay is generally hardy to about −5°C. Below that, fleece the plant or move the pot. Some shops quote about −10°C. Little Ragu, 'Monrik', is the compact form the RHS lists as H4. None of these Carbeth titles names a cultivar, so do not copy H4 or −10°C onto them.
A 9–13 cm pot freezes faster than open soil, because the roots sit above the soil line. The pruning cut is on how to grow bay laurel. Whether you should own a pot at all is on bay tree pot or ground.
Fleece, or a cool move
Horticultural fleece is for the leaves and the young shoots. The RHS bay page says heavier-grade fleece gives about 2°C of protection. That will not carry a 9 cm pot through −15°C. Put the fleece on when frost is forecast, and take it off when the mild spell returns. The English Garden uses the same −5°C trigger: move the pot or wrap it.
When you do move it, the RHS places are a greenhouse, a porch, or a cool room up to about 10°C. A heated living room is the failure those pages agree on: soft growth, then scale.
Wrap the pot and keep the drainage open
Fleece on the crown does not stop the rootball freezing. The RHS tells you to wrap the pot in hessian or in reused bubble wrap, because the roots freeze through the sides. Raise the pot on feet or bricks so water drains. A saucer left full under a wrapped pot undoes the wrap.
In winter, water only when the compost is dry, then let it drain. Stop the liquid feed at the end of summer. If the bay is already in the ground, wait until spring and cut the dead tips. You do not dig it up in January to wrap it like a pot.
What you must not promise
These six are young nursery plants. They are not an H4 cultivar, and not pest free because a listing says bay. Do not cook the berries, and do not cook cherry laurel because the leaf looks similar in winter. Heavier fleece at about 2°C of cover does not replace a move when the night is far below −5°C.
If the pot can move, put it in a greenhouse, porch, or cool room at or below about 10°C. If it cannot, fleece the plant and wrap the pot, and keep the drainage hole open. Peter F. followed the RHS care guide and grow guide, and The English Garden, for the temperature and the two wraps. The Carbeth pots were not overwintered as a test.
Common questions
At what temperature do I protect a bay in a pot?
The RHS care guide uses about −5°C. Above that, a sheltered pot may only need watching. Below it, fleece the plant or move it. Young plants and 9–13 cm pots need the plan first. A border plant is hardier and may only lose young growth. Do not replace −5°C with a shop's −10°C line for these listings.
Is fleece enough, or do I have to move it?
Fleece is enough for a mild frost if you also wrap the pot. Heavier fleece is about 2°C of protection on the RHS bay page, which will not carry a small pot through a much colder night. Move the pot when the forecast goes well below −5°C or the pot is the 9–13 cm size these listings are. A jacket of fleece is the fallback when a large tub cannot be lifted. These starters can be lifted.
Do I wrap the leaves, the pot, or both?
Both, if the plant stays outside. Fleece goes on the plant for frost and wind. Hessian or reused bubble wrap goes on the pot so the roots do not freeze through the plastic. Pot feet or bricks keep the hole draining and make a cracked pot less likely. Wrapping the leaves and leaving the pot in a tray of water misses the part that usually kills a container bay.
How warm can the spare room be?
About 10°C is the RHS ceiling for a cool room, porch, or greenhouse holding a bay. Cool and bright beats warm and dry. A heated living room pushes soft growth and is where scale tends to show up. Do not read 10°C as any spare room in a modern house. If the only indoor space is a warm bedroom, a porch or an unheated greenhouse is the closer match.
What if it is planted in the ground?
Expect less kit and more patience. Cold and wind may kill this season's growth. Prune that damage in spring. You do not wrap a border bay like a pot unless it is still very young and exposed. Hardiness is still about −5°C in the care guide, with shelter helping, and these purchases are not an H4 label.
Should I keep watering and feeding in winter?
Feed no. The liquid feed stops at the end of summer. Water only so the compost does not dry out completely, and never so the pot sits in water. Over-watering damages roots in the cold. Pages that say no water at all disagree with each other and with the RHS warning about both drought stress and soggy compost. Use the drain hole as the judge.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these six listings are the figures kept for this comparison. A search on 19 October 2026 showed no featured offer on B07B6NWPXL. Page updated 21 October 2026.
- RHS, How to grow bay (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS, Bay tree care (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS, Laurus nobilis (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS, Bay sucker (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK plant passports (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK returns and refunds (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Demasi and others, Toxins (2022), cherry laurel (retrieved 19 October 2026)