The plant of the month this month is a little known tree that I think you will all be interested in ... the California laurel (Umbellularia californica).

For anyone who has tried to grow their own bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) and failed, the California laurel is the perfect substitute. The leaves are the same size and shape as true bay leaves and have a very similar flavor. Unless you were to taste them together you would not be able to tell the difference. Or you may think, as I do, that they taste even better than the regular bay leaves.

Unlike the Laurus nobilis, however, the California laurel, native to the Sierra Nevada and California coastal ranges, is perfectly suited to our climate. It grows very slowly to about 75 feet tall (only about 1 foot each year), but with a lot of water and good soil it will grow faster. None-the-less, it will grow in almost any condition, full sun or shade, drought conditions or regular water. If you don't want to wait 20 years or so to get a wonderful shade tree, it is well suited for use as a tall hedge or as an addition to your landscape in the form of an "edible", and beautiful evergreen tree.

So, for those of you who have tried to grow bay leaves for your kitchen and been unsuccessful, or would like to grow something a little flavorful, or if you just need a versatile evergreen landscape plant, California laurel is the one to try.