Bay Trees in Perth — Aromatic, Versatile and Low Maintenance

The Bay Tree (Laurus nobilis) is one of the most useful and versatile trees you can plant in a Perth garden. Best known as the source of bay leaves used in cooking, it's also a beautiful evergreen tree with dense, aromatic dark green foliage that works equally well as a screening tree, formal standard, topiary specimen, or standalone feature tree.

A Practical and Beautiful Tree for WA Gardens

Bay Trees are exceptionally well suited to Perth's climate. They're drought tolerant once established, handle Perth's hot summers with ease, and their salt tolerance makes them an excellent choice for coastal Perth suburbs. They thrive in full sun and adapt well to a wide range of well-drained soils — including Perth's sandy soils.

In a garden setting the Bay Tree typically grows to around 8 metres tall and 3 metres wide, though it can be kept much smaller with regular pruning — making it just as at home in a large pot or courtyard as it is in an open garden bed.

Key Features at a Glance

Mature height: 8 metres
Mature width: 3 metres
Aspect: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Well-drained soils; tolerates sandy Perth soils
Evergreen: Yes — year-round dense foliage
Drought tolerant: Yes
Salt tolerant: Yes — suitable for coastal Perth gardens
Best suited to: Screening, feature planting, topiary standards, cooking herb gardens, coastal WA gardens

Growing Bay Tree in Perth

Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. Water regularly while establishing, then reduce to occasional deep watering once settled in. Bay Trees are one of the more drought-hardy trees available in Perth and require very little ongoing care.

They respond exceptionally well to pruning and shaping — making them popular as clipped formal standards, hedges, and topiary. Harvest leaves as needed throughout the year for use in cooking — the aromatic oils are most concentrated in mature leaves.

Best Suited To

Herb and kitchen gardens in Perth — fresh bay leaves year-round
Screening and privacy hedging along Perth property boundaries
Formal clipped standards for driveways and entrances
Topiary and shaped feature planting in courtyards
Coastal Perth gardens — highly salt and drought tolerant
Large feature pots and containers on patios and balconies

Order Your Bay Tree Online

Perth Trees Direct delivers healthy, established Bay Trees direct to your door across the Perth metro area. Professional planting and installation can be added using the dropdown above.