Bay Trees- hard pruning?

[TT86]

Good evening folks

We moved into our new house last April and I tackled a lot of the garden over last summer so it is significantly less jungle like!

I took a few bay trees out altogether however these two big ones still remain. They are either side of a hawthorn which is lost within them.

My initial plan was to remove altogether and grind the stumps out but there isn't a fence on top of the wall behind the trees so I fear it may look a bit too open with the neighbours.

Is a hard prune of such established trees feasible? The trunk is a good 5-6 inches across and I figured I'd have to bring them down to about 6ft. I know bays are meant to recover well but this would mean losing almost all of the foliage but retaining some low down cover for privacy between the houses.

I have a new handheld battery chainsaw which is surprisingly good so I think will be up to the job.

I suspect the neighbour won't be happy as I gather he is a big tree fan but I want the view back and some light to my lawn.

Any advice/knowledge very much appreciated!

[Grande Pedro]

I'd give hacking that/those a proper go. They need some drastic work and you've got nothing to lose really. Don't worry too much about the neighbour; if he likes trees he'll prefer healthy and appropriate ones.

[Byker28i]

Thats a Bay tree? Like the bay leafs you put in stews?

We have one thats got to 9 feet, been chopped down to a couple of feet, dug up, moved twice, it seems quite resilient.
Right now it had got to 8 feet, I've just lopped 2 feet off it.

I've not killed it yet.

[driverrob]

We kept ours to a very dense sphere for many years but, lately, it has become harder to keep it a sphere because of the fence and neighbouring bushes and now it's more of an egg shape. Basically it gets pruned hard every year, mostly in the Spring. I've just spent 15 mins trying to find a photo but no luck yet.

[Silvanus]

Bays recover well from hard pruning, now into March is a good time to do it.

[TT86]

Brilliant thank you all! I will get on it and hit them hard! If they turn out ok I may just keep them long term but tamed rather than remove altogether.

Much appreciate the responses

[Silvanus]

TT86 said:

Brilliant thank you all! I will get on it and hit them hard! If they turn out ok I may just keep them long term but tamed rather than remove altogether.

Much appreciate the responses

Keep and dry some big bay sprigs, you can put them straight on hot bbq coals and cook things like mackerel over the hot smoke, tastes delicious.

[Mighty Flex]

I have a similar size bay to attack soon. I had pruned it to a column to keep the spread down, but it's got too big, and I can no longer reach the top when standing on the garage roof... I have been under the impression that they are tough- cut before nesting birds and after the risk of harshest weather seems like a plan.

[Silvanus]

Mighty Flex said:

I have a similar size bay to attack soon. I had pruned it to a column to keep the spread down, but it's got too big, and I can no longer reach the top when standing on the garage roof... I have been under the impression that they are tough- cut before nesting birds and after the risk of harshest weather seems like a plan.

Now is an ideal time, no need to wait. You ideally want to prune just before they spring back into life and start pushing out new growth.

[Byker28i]

Silvanus said:

TT86 said:

Brilliant thank you all! I will get on it and hit them hard! If they turn out ok I may just keep them long term but tamed rather than remove altogether.

Much appreciate the responses

Keep and dry some big bay sprigs, you can put them straight on hot bbq coals and cook things like mackerel over the hot smoke, tastes delicious.

Yup. Mostly how we keep the growth down. If you feel really keen, take the leaves and freeze them in bags. We give away a lot that way

[Mighty Flex]

Silvanus said:

Mighty Flex said:

I have a similar size bay to attack soon. I had pruned it to a column to keep the spread down, but it's got too big, and I can no longer reach the top when standing on the garage roof... I have been under the impression that they are tough- cut before nesting birds and after the risk of harshest weather seems like a plan.

Now is an ideal time, no need to wait. You ideally want to prune just before they spring back into life and start pushing out new growth.

Absolutely, It was going to be yesterday, but another tree decided to fall over. Today is horizontal rain and the top of the tree is waving back and forth vigorously!

[driverrob]

Here is mine today; in need of a light trim.

[Byker28i]

I'm quite inspired. Going to shave mine into shape

[Rotaree]

I had one of a similar size that I wanted to turn into a small bush but I wasn't too worried if it didn't recover. So I chainsawed it back until it was no more than a two foot stump; I was quite surprised at how quickly it started shooting and a couple of years later I had turned it into a four foot sphere. I've had a few bays over the years and have pretty much come to the conclusion that they are indestructible!

[vaud]

Byker28i said:

I'm quite inspired. Going to shave mine into shape

And the bay tree?





sorry.

[TT86]

Just to update. I hit them hard over my days off. 4 tip trips with the foliage and a large pile of logs for the wood burner as a result!

They were full on suffocating the hawthorn so I have taken them out altogether. Much more light coming into the garden albeit I need to add some fencing now.

I used my £40 Amazon handheld chainsaw for 90% of it, absolutely amazing little tool if used safely. Only needed my full size chainsaw for the base of the trunks.



Still plenty of bay trees left in the garden (another 3 or 4) but these two weren't adding anything.

[8-P]

Looks like a good effort.

[driverrob]

Is that ^^^ your fence the ivy is destroying?

[TT86]

driverrob said:

Is that ^^^ your fence the ivy is destroying?

You know I'm not actually sure! The deeds don't seem to suggest either way and nor do the neighbours know.

That fence is fitted with the nice side to me and the posts their side so I assume likely mine?

We had ivy down the full 150ft the other side that I killed when we moved in, so I'll tidy this bit up. At the back of the garden I need a fence this side too but it's full thick ivy their side which is a nuisance

[Mr Magooagain]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see those bay stumps shooting in a while!
Great job on the ‘hard pruning’