By Sjw
gloucestershire,
United Kingdom 
last year lost a bay tree, I thought it was from the harsh winter. I replaced it with two new ones and took extra care covering whenever a frost was forecast. However the same has happened, the stems that connect the leaf to the branch die back first, then the leaf. It has many dead leaves, that are brittle and fall of, I have been pruning away the dead branches and now the tree is looking rather sad. They are the lollypop sort in pots, I was wondering is this a disease or frost damage and what are there chances of recovering. Any answers please or I might just stick to box they seem to be much easier to look after.
8 Mar, 2012
Hello sjw! Are your bay in pots? If so, then tip them out onto a sheet and check for small creamy coloured grubs (vine weevil). Also, check for root growth. There should be a substantial amount of side shoots, but if the root system looks sad, then I believe you may have vine weevil. Drench all the soil with vine weevil killer, from your local Garden Centre, and re-pot in fresh compost, but also treat the soil in the immediate area. In the summer look out for the adult black beetle and squish! Google will give you pictures. Do the same if your bay are planted in the ground - gently dig them out and have a look at the root and soil. Hope this helps.
10 Mar, 2012