Bay Tree?

[ABCarve]

Quite a transformation! It's a shame about the other pot though.

Easy come, easy go with pots. I have an inexpensive source. Six years is about my limit and a pot change is always fun.
I’m kinda puzzled why this isn’t a more popular species. Its appearance is very similar to a beech….. leaf shape and size…..smooth grey bark. But mostly it develops relatively quickly compared to beech. 7-10 temp zone. AND of course there is the benefit of leaf pruning for cooking . Maybe they don’t have them in Japan.

 

[PerryB]

If you use your own wormwood, it can definitely be psychedelic... You have to drink a lot... And FIGHT the "pull to sleep"... But it is there...

I HATE(d) the taste, though...

This is quite true...I was once notorious for my absinthe type blend of various herbs plus Artemesia absinthium with the best brandy I could find. Even with all the aromatics (aniseed, fennel seed, etc.), it was still---as the Bible says---the bitterest herb. And a couple of shots would entertain for hours!

 

[ABCarve]

This just got a fairly hard cutback and partial defoliation. Trying to get it opened up for inner growth. The leaf are really starting to reduce and back-budding is vigorous. More leaves will be removed once the buds start pushing.

 

[PerryB]

This just got a fairly hard cutback and partial defoliation. Trying to get it opened up for inner growth. The leaf are really starting to reduce and back-budding is vigorous. More leaves will be removed once the buds start pushing.

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This is a great tree! I've been following your for a while now and I think I will make my 5-year old into a bonsai.

I may put it into a grow box for the summer outdoors to get some more girth...Now if I just had a gorgeous @ABCarve pot for it!

 

[ShadyStump]

This just got a fairly hard cutback and partial defoliation. Trying to get it opened up for inner growth. The leaf are really starting to reduce and back-budding is vigorous. More leaves will be removed once the buds start pushing.

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That's your laurus nobilus, right?
I think I may finally get mine out of its nursery can and moving in a pretty sort of direction this year.

 

[ABCarve]

All those new buds are pushing. I hope the leaves stay small. This is a new level of ramification.