Trimming the bay tree

This is what I was up to today - a massive bay tree next to the fence had a haircut. I was grateful for an electric saw and rachet long-armed loppers. They made cutting it down to size much easier.

The whole tree has about a dozen of stems about 4-6 inches in diameter, most had grown to about 20 feet high in recent years - when my focus was on working rather than gardening. It definitely needed to be cut hard back. I hope it will soon grow new shoots to cover the stumps.

I will spend some time cutting up the prunings and taking them to be recycled at the local authority tip. There is too much to go in the green waste recycling bin and it doesn't chop well in my grinding machine - that only takes small branches. The bay leaves may be good as flavourings but they dont rot down well in the compost either.