I'd take it back and get your money back especially if you want it for cooking. Often growers put the 'not fit for human consumption' on their plants as a default setting so as to save time/effort. the plant may have been sprayed with an insecticide but which one will determine how long it takes to become clear of it.

welcome to GoY too.

As the Laurus Nobilis is usually used as a culinary shrub then they shouldn't spray or pot it in anything sinister. Having said, it is my opinion that some potting medium used by growers may contain some vine weevil prevention. Therefore, I would be inclined to take it back to the garden centre. Look for a smaller one, perhaps somewhere else which can be found on display with the herb section so it will be for culinary use.

The most likely reason is the sprays they used, which won't be suitable for human consumption, and, as seaburngirl says,without knowing what they used,I'd definitely return it. It is possible to buy a bay that doesn't have a warning on it - sometimes the herb rack at the supermarket has a small bay on display, and they will be safe to use, and will grow over time if potted up and kept sheltered this winter. Alternatively, the herb section at the garden centre should have small bay plants.

Its not just bay trees - its usual for some 'ornamental' yet edible chili plants, as well as lemon and lime trees, bought with fruit already present, to carry a warning about not eating the fruits, and that's purely down to the use of systemic treatments not suitable for food stuffs. It wears off, so any fruits produced in subsequent years will be edible, but its all in the name of producing a perfect, unblemished plant for sale.

I think you should explore this statement further. Ask at the garden center or at the Botanical Gardens. Bay Leaf is not usually eaten. It is an aromatic used for flavoring and could pose a choking hazard. It's often included in a satchel with other herbs and fished out after cooking process.

Of course it's also used as a natural air freshener. Tarragon & Dill are also excellent choices for this.

Bay leaves dropped into soups, stews and casseroles, whether in a sachet or not, will be leaching their flavour into the said edible foodstuff - along with the internalized systemic pesticide/fungicidal treatments present in the leaf tissue, hence the warning about 'consumption'.

...that's why I said to explore the statement further. Seems ludicrous to treat herbs with toxic chemicals - something isn't right here. You'd be better off eating the bugs it is suppose to prevent.

Did the label say "Bay Laurel", or just "Laurel"? There is a Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica), which is an evergreen relative of the cherry, but the leaves are not edible.

Good point Tug - 'laurel' is a term used for 3 plants in the UK - but to be honest, if it was purchased in a garden centre, I'd expect the label to have the Latin name Laurus nobilis as well as possibly a common name ,if it is bay. At 2 feet, I'm imagining a standard bay laurel, commonly available ... but that doesn't mean it is...

As Tug suggested, I think you have a Portuguese Laurel Tree (Prunus lusitanica) which is also called Portuguese Bay Tree. This tree contains cyanide and is definitely NOT for culinary use. You should take it back.

The tree you are looking for is Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis, Lauraceae as Jimmy says). Bay Laurel is the cooking herb.

Hmm, several balls picked up and run away with there...

:P

Heaven only knows what goes on in a DIY garden center, and, sadly, several of the independent garden centers here in the Valley are not so plant savvy, They don't always catch the goofball things that the growers sometimes put on the labels. :/