A good addition to stews, soups, or bean dishes, bay is a must for Creole and Spanish cuisine.

With the indoor-outdoor treatment most U. S. dwellers have to give bay, this shrub stays at around 5 feet (1.5 m) or less. Bay’s narrow, pointy, oval leaves are leatherlike, glossy, and pungent.

Mature plants may produce little pale yellow flowers in early summer, followed by dark purple berries. Bay requires good drainage, but doesn’t mind fairly poor soil. Give your plant protection from wind and full sun, and don’t let it thirst in a drought.

Bay is an ideal container plant (click here for information on container gardening). You have to bring it inside during winter in Zones 6 and north because it won’t survive outside.

Gardeners in Zone 8 and south can leave it outdoors year-round, while those in borderline Zone 7 should sink its pot in the ground and mound soil and mulch around it to keep the roots from freezing. (Click here to find out what Zone you are in.)

Bay seeds often turn moldy, so start with a small, purchased plant. Indoors, bay can tolerate temperatures from 45°F to 80°F (7°C to 26°C), but it needs a sunny window. Keep the soil barely moist, and don’t feed it in winter.