By Marilee
Oregon,
United States 
My bay has been growing for at least ten years and is now about 10 feet tall. It has supplied many Christmas wreaths over the years. However, this year it has developed brown branches and leaves. They are growing from the bottom. It has not been an unseasonable year in Oregon, so I am really unclear why it is happening. I am thinking about cutting all the brown growth away...I hope I can save this beautiful bay!
20 Mar, 2010
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Sorry i cannot help but as I have a bay tree I thought I would look on the internet and see what I could find. I thought you might enjoy this morsel from Wikipedia
In Chinese folklore, there is a great laurel tree on the moon, and the Chinese name for the laurel, (traditional Chinese: 月桂), literally translates to "moon-laurel". This is the subject of a story of Wu Gang, a man who aspired to immortality and neglected his work. When the deities discovered this, they sentenced Wu Gang to fell the laurel tree, whereupon he could join the ranks of the deities; however, since the laurel regenerated immediately when cut, it could never be felled. The phrase (simplified Chinese: 吴刚伐木) ("Wu Gang chops the tree") is sometimes used to refer to endless toil, analogous to mythology.
If the legend is based on fact then maybe your laurel is safe. I hope so as its awful to lose mature plants.
20 Mar, 2010