Chastetree

It was an especially good year for flowers here Texas. I was really taken with the blooms of the Chastetree. Can you tell me more about this beauty?

The chastetree (Vitex) shrub produces beautiful blooms most of the summer. Many southern gardeners find it a nice substitute for the cold loving lilacs. It is rated hardy in zones 6 to 8 or 9, though I have seen it used as a perennial or sub shrub (dies to ground each winter) in zones 5. Where hardy, it can reach heights of 8 to 10 feet tall. In its most southern range it often grows to 15 or 20 feet and is used as a small tree. It prefers full sun, hot weather and tolerant of a wide variety of well-drained soils. The chastetree is drought tolerant once established.