Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)

Bay laurel does three things at once. It holds a sunny border with glossy evergreen leaves, throws a warm herbal scent when you brush past, and hands you fresh bay leaves for the pot year-round. The same tree that screens a fence line seasons a soup.

Plant it in full sun. Water deeply every couple of weeks through the first summer to settle the roots, then back off. It is built for dry ground after that. Grow it as a full shrub, a formal screen, or a single-stem tree. It takes the shears well and holds whatever shape you give it.

Evergreen. Full sun. Low water once established. Matures 10 to 20 feet, kept at any height with pruning. In a 5-gallon pot, ready to go in the ground.