An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

June 27, 2008

Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree)

This tree is blooming now all across the area, and is probably about 1-2 weeks earlier than normal. I am fond of this plant because it is very hardy for us; blooms when few other trees are blooming - and it is lilac-blue. I know of no other tree that blooms this color in this climate. There are pale pink and white cultivars available, but why would you want them when you can have blue? Vitex can take a lot of heat and sun, can withstand coastal conditions and whistles through any drought. However, it does not like to have prolonged wet feet. It is hardy from the warmer parts of zone 6 into zone 9, and in the colder parts of its limits, it can be treated as a cut back shrub, similar to a Buddleia. In the mid range it behaves like a multi-stemmed shrub, and here it makes an attractive small tree reaching about 15' tall. If you spend the time to do a little lower limb pruning, its attractive blocky bark is revealed. The blooms last about a month attracting lots of bees and the occasional hummingbird. If you have the inclination and a sturdy ladder, deadheading makes them bloom again in early fall. The leaves are reminiscent in appearance to marijuana, and both the foliage and the seeds have a strong medicinal smell. There is no appreciable fall color.

Vitex is native to southwestern Europe and western Asia, where it has a long storied history. It was mistakenly believed to be an ANAphrodisiac quelling the sexual desires of people who ingested it or slept on beds of it. It was thought to keep the thoughts of temple maidens pure while they tended to their duties, and kept the hands of monks out from under their robes and the robes of others (hence the name Chaste Tree). Coincidentally, it does have an effect on the body's hormones and has been proven to ease PMS and promote lactation. If you do a little on-line research, you will discover scads of information on Vitex's medical/herbal uses. Author Stephen Foster has an interesting article here about Vitex's medicinal history.


This shot below may seem a little hazy, and that was because it was an extremely smoky day with the fires from the swamp still churning away. Even though at this point, the fires are 90% contained, they are mainly peat fires and produce a particularly acrid smoke.

The bees can be so thick on Vitex, that you get the illusion that the whole tree is subtly moving.


I like to see Vitex planted in groups and limbed up, looking like a grove of small gnarly trees. This makes a great place to plant shade tolerant perennials. If you ever visit Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, look next to the Big Bad Wolf and you will see this done very nicely.

One last thing; try to avoid planting Vitex rontundifolia or Beach Vitex. It has become something that needs to be eradicated in the coastal dune ecosystem. It is just as pretty and just as tough, but it is choking out natives that do a much better job of dune stablization.

14 comments:

  1. I just recently posted a picture of something I didn' know what it was. Thanks to your pictures I am pretty sure now that it was a vitex. Very interesting plant.

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  2. I love this tree and want another one for my new gardens. It does everything you said it would and has never let me down. Your blog is still as beautiful as ever. I also hope business was good this year. I can't tell down here yet. Good to see you again.

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  3. I left something for you at my blog. My blog isn't set up for open url's yet. Vox is working on it. I'll come back here to see you accepted the gift. I think you deserve it.

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  4. Bek,
    Danke einen Besuch! I noticed on your blog that the German word for Vitex translates as Monk's Pepper which is a name I came across on a couple of sights.

    Anna,
    Glad to see that you are publishing again. I look forward to seeing your posts. Thank you so very much for the hononr, you have me in good company. I tried to post a comment bot VOX requires you to sign up to say anything, and I am not sure I will be doing that. Thanks again!

    Les

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  5. What a tree!

    (too much ;-)

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  6. Yes Les, it's a mess at Vox right now. It's typepads free service and goning through growing pains. They do plan on an open ID. I did open another blog for comments and explained you could go there to comment if you liked. But I also said I'd be coming back here to take a look. You do deserve the award. I've always admired you and your hard work both in your garden and the job. Congrats. You are one of the first I thought about.

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  7. I love this tree and have from the first time I saw it...beautiful flowers, interesting leaves, fabulous silver gray coloring and invites bees into the yard...I am hoping to get it established here but this clay soil may defeat me! Your photos really showcase Vitex!
    Gail
    clay and limestone

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  8. It is one of my favorites too and I think it is a great alternative to crape myrtle which is so overplanted here. I have two and the prettiest one is the one that I have never pruned. I pruned the other down to the ground and it has never been the same - I know they saw you can do this but I must have done it wrong.

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  9. Gail,
    Good luck in your soil. Hopefully you planted it high (root ball elevated that is, not inebriated gardener).

    Phillip,
    I think they mix well with Crapes, but I do not think in necessary to suggest that there should be an alternative to one of my other favorite trees. I am more than a little partial to Crapes.

    Les

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  10. Excellent Article ... I planted five specimens along the brick wall of my front garden in Richmond last March ... They bloomed spectacularly from July - September and are about 6-7 feet tall ... I wish to pollard them as they do in Williamsburg but am not certain how or when to go about this ... Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated ... Thank you.

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  11. Anonymous,
    If you would like to limb these up, the best time is late winter, but you could really do it anytime after they go dormant through Labor Day. Select the branches you want to be the trunks and remove everything else. Over the course of the seasons you will likely get little sprouts coming from the trunk, just cut them off as you see them.

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  12. Just came across this website looking for info on Vitex. Very nice work if I may begin with that. I planted one of these in the back of our VB home in 1997 -- enjoyed it for years and all of its dappled shading training it to a tree-shrub. It was the common purply-blue in color. If anyone else recalls, there was a fabulous rep of this species on Independence Blvd. (Holland Rd. extended) in VA Beach until they reformed the roadbed in the mid-90's. That Vitex had a large central trunk, was taller than mature Bradford Pear, and electric blue in color. Simply stunning -- and needless to say an absolute crime turning it to the chipper. Have not seen another ever before or since. Once more terrific blog! Wish I had found you sooner. Peace.

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  13. Carole,
    Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment, and nice ones at that! I do not remember that particular tree, but it would be a crime to put one that size in the shredder. Please stop by again, with or without a comment.

    Les

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  14. I have a Vitex tree in my front yard and when in bloom people will stop their cars and/or slow down to look at the tree or ask me the name of the tree. It is beautiful.

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