Conditional — Some Areas
bay laurel (zones 8-10) reaches only part of Washington (4a-9b): zones 8-9 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Washington spans zones 4a-9b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score bay laurel against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Bay Laurel Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-10
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 30 ft tall
- Picking window: ~365 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Washington Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 16 - Apr 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 24 - Nov 18
- Annual Rainfall: 6-90 inches
- Common Soils: Volcanic ash, Silt loam (Palouse), Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Bay Laurel in Washington
The frost window
Across Washington, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 16 and Apr 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 24 and Nov 18 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 192-day window you can count on — up to 247 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Bay Laurel overwinters from USDA zone 8 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder), and Washington runs as cold as zone 4, so it does not survive winter in the ground here. It is a woody plant rather than a crop you resow each spring, so neither a fall establishment date nor a harvest countdown describes it in Washington — which is why this page gives neither. What it needs here is a way through winter, not a planting date.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Whatcom County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says bay laurel survives winter in part of Washington, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Bay Laurel wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Washington site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Bay Laurel needs ~2000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~1740 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Washington's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Bay Laurel tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-8.2) — 3.7 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Washington. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Washington soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Washington site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Washington's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Bay Laurel needs about 59 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how bay laurel performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Washington soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Bay Laurel in Washington — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 8-10 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 4a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 16 - Apr 15 to Oct 24 - Nov 18 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 365 days
What Else to Consider for Bay Laurel in Washington
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Washington growers also need to think about:
Extreme rain divide: 90+ inches west, 6 inches east of Cascades
East side requires irrigation — no rain from June through September
Slug and root rot pressure on the wet west side
Short seasons at elevation in the Cascades and northeast corners
Growing bay laurel here specifically
At ~365 days to harvest, bay laurel barely fits Washington's ~208 frost-free days — there's little slack if spring runs cold.
Give bay laurel an indoor head start and a row cover in fall to beat the first freeze. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Washington grower, not just bay laurel — is covered on the Washington growing guide.
Timing shifts within Washington
Washington isn't one climate. In Whatcom County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 29 — roughly 54 days later than the recorded state median — so plant bay laurel to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Bay Laurel needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Whatcom County — Washington’s shortest season at 131 frost-free days — clears that by 11 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Washington. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Washington’s 39 counties the frost-free season runs from 131 days in Whatcom County to 300 days in San Juan County — a spread of 169 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Washington county sees 208 frost-free days, leaving bay laurel about 88 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Bay Laurel's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Washington Fits Best
Even within Washington's zones 4a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for bay laurel (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Bay Laurel draws honeybees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, bay laurel can only work that bloom inside Washington's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 16 - Apr 15) and closing at the first (Oct 24 - Nov 18), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Bay Laurel
On Growable Ground, Bay Laurel means Laurus nobilis — not to be confused with cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and California bay (Umbellularia californica). cherry laurel is toxic and not culinary — confirm the leaf is true Laurus nobilis before cooking with it.
Recommended Bay Laurel Varieties for Washington
Washington publishes no state variety trial for bay laurel, so we won't invent a "best for Washington" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (4a-9b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Washington Cooperative Extension
For Washington-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for bay laurel, the canonical source is WSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Bay Laurel in Washington
When can I plant Bay Laurel in Washington?
Washington's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 16 and Apr 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 24 and Nov 18 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Bay Laurel overwinters only from USDA zone 8 and warmer, and Washington runs as cold as zone 4, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for Washington growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.
What hardiness zone is Bay Laurel grown in across Washington?
Washington spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Bay Laurel carries a range of zones 8-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Washington site have?
A typical Washington site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Bay Laurel needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Whatcom, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Bay Laurel in Washington?
Bay Laurel tolerates pH 4.5-8.2 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.7-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Washington site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Bay Laurel actually grow on my specific land in Washington?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores bay laurel against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Washington
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores bay laurel against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Washington bay laurel averages can't show:
We read public map data around Washington — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Washington bay laurel average
Explore More
Growing guides for bay laurel
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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