Irvin, Amish nursery guy, told me it wouldn't get much bigger than it is now. In fact, he knew very little about it, as the tag had only the latin name on it. He said his supplier "talked him into buying some for his nursery". Well, I came home and got online right away. Here it is called Chaste Tree and can grow 10 - 15'! Oh my. Also, it may not be hardy in my zone. Irvin did mention something about cutting the top of it back in the fall, so he must have had an inkling it would get tall.

There was alot of very interesting information about the medicinal properties of the Chaste Tree throughout history as well.

The blooms look similar to a butterfly bush, but bigger and more compact. The foliage is quite different too. But isn't it pretty? Now, what can I relocate to make room for it? But not right away, as we are to have temps in the mid to high 80's next week again.

Mine blooms in May. I don't cut it back.

Pruned to tree form at 10-15' it would be spectacular wouldn't it? I read on one site that a park had planted a line of them. Bet that's pretty.

Live and learn....or read up on something before you buy. :)

Good luck with your vitex, it's lovely! At Descanso Gardens they let them get big in the middle of rose beds. They make a lovely backdrop!

I thought I had made up my mind where to plant it, but now I have to consider the fact that if I remove the evergreen (young Blue Moss Cypress) and put the Vitex there; and the Vitex dies.....

Yes, very hot today and even hotter (89) here tomorrow. No thunderstorm tonight after all, storms will begin to come in Sunday and then supposedly we'll have a whole week of wet. Before which would be an ideal time to plant really.

I have a love-hate relationship with it. Mine is an unnamed variety. I used to cut it back at the same time as buddleia in late February. It got too tall. It seeds out everywhere and that is my issue with it. The bees and butterflies go crazy over it and even the hummingbirds sip from the blooms.

I trim up the trunk to keep it shaped so that we can still use the garden path. When it was planted, it was in the meadow and I ended up expanding the garden out and around it. The self-sowing wasn't a problem when it was baking in the meadow. But, with rich garden soil....

natal - really love the fencing and arbor. The blue of Vitex looks so nice with it. Thanks for posting the pic.

Hey, even as a very expensive annual the plant you purchased is gorgeous!! Especially since you're already getting winged critters visiting it!

Cameron and Natal those are beautiful photos! Makes me want one even more!!!

I also have a Shoal's Creek without a seed problem and more robust blooms. I have raised an offspring of the seedy one, but I planted it out in the meadow where it is surrounded with grass instead of garden soil. The Black Swallowtail butterflies have bronze fennel just above the big tree. They love to go to the vitex to pupate. It's such a good wildlife tree.

Well, maybe I should plant it in the orchard garden then with all the wild flowers, weeds and cast-off perennials. I already have a butterfly bush there, Culvert Root, Loosestrife, milkweed and others; but it's so pretty I wanted it closer to the house near or in the courtyard garden.

I wish I wouldn't have stopped at that darn nursery! :)

Still, it will be difficult to get it to overwinter in zone 5. These are very late to show green foliage in spring, even in my zone 7b, it can be around May.

When I push the zone on cold hardiness for plants, I place stones around the base in winter to help soak up sun to keep the roots warm.

Thanks for all the insight on this shrub/tree. Time to get a cup of coffee, pull up a chair in the garden and stare at this Vitex for awhile until I decide what to do. :)

Did you keep them pruned to tree shape?

They are listed on the state wildlife habitat recommendation list for planting in Oklahoma (zones 6-7a). They grow on the OSU campus (Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater around the Theta Pond (if you know where that is located).

Someone in the southwestern desert sent me seeds from her bushes several years ago. She said they grew easily from seed, and she was right. I grew my two shrubs from seeds. I don't know the variety of mine. Mine are three years old from when I sowed the seeds. I grew them in the greenhouse the first winter. The bigger one has been in the ground for two summers and two winters - the other I just set out about 6 weeks ago. Both doing great. In fact, the smaller one sat out all last winter in that plastic pot and it came back out with no die back. I was amazed. They went dormant, but did not die back, so must be fairly hardy to winter over in zone 6b/7a where I live.

The bigger one is blooming it's second year, but much prettier blooms this year. It is just a little bit bigger than yours in the container.

Here's my bigger one. You can see it is still small, but starting to take off finally. It was just beginning to bloom when I took this picture at the end of June.

I hope they both become big shrubs and have lots of blooms every summer.

For your zone, I would mulch it really well this fall and then cut it back some next spring in April to keep it bushy and shorter. Here the cut back date is around March, so I am just guessing about when you should do it there. And yes, pruned back just like you do a Butterfly Bush (Buddleia).

~Annie

Too hot today to plant, although the weatherman says a chance of rain every day starting next Tuesday(?)so it would be good to get in as soon as possible to take advantage of the moisture. He hasn't been right so far with his predictions, so we shall see.

I've only watered mine a few times since I set them out.
Not bothered by bugs, deer or rabbits. Great plant.

I plan on planting one on the southside of the house to provide more shade on that hot side of the house and some summer bloom color. Blues are a great cooling color in the heat of summer.

I love Chaste trees - AKA "Summer Lilacs"

~Annie

Yours is a good looking plant at three yrs.,esp being grown from seed.

I can envision it hanging over the stonework path where it would cast a bit of shadow across the courtyard or just the path and provide a cool blue in the heat of summer. The leaves and blooms are a perfect cooling color with your green furniture too.

Of course, I have no idea where you thought of placing it in the courtyard, but anywhere you would place it is bound to be fantastic. Look what you've done already!
Go with your instincts.

~Annie

I think I'd better as soon as possible though because yesterday afternoon it wilted. Alarmed, I gave it another big drink of water and then it rained last night; so it looks ok today. Probably root bound.

It's a beauty, and I did nothing special to overwinter it. I bought it from bluestone perennials and they said zone 5 safe.

Crossing my fingers!

I have to prune/shape them often, almost as often as wisteria. And yes it never stops. Where you prune off a small limb multiple sprouts occur, and they are forever sprouting at the trunk base.

On the positve side they are extremely drought tolerant here in East Texas.

I think you can see where the regrowth began.

From September 2010

From September 2010

As of today, it looks healthy despite the lack of rain we've had. I'll mulch it well again before winter and keep my fingers crossed.

I cut it back like a Butterfly Bush as suggested by others, but I can't say whether or not that hurt or helped as it didn't live long enough to test that practice.

I've got to get out there and strip mine off --again... just like the crepe myrtles.

No regrets! I've spent the last week rearranging plants into places up the slope that used to be shaded out by the vitex. We still have two out in the grassy meadow where the soil is too hard to grow seeds.

Cameron

Click "Next" to see all 4 photos.

I wouldn't cover it completely, but I think a little mulch might be a good idea.