Melinda Myers

Chastetree

Botanical Name

Vitex agnus-castus

Min Zone

6

Max Zone

9

Height

8 to 15 feet

Width

5 to 20 feet

Flowers

Summer: lavender

Light

Full sun to part shade

Soil

Moist, well-drained, loose

Planting & Care

• Not reliably hardy in Zone 5
• Plant in sheltered location north of Zone 7
• When grown in Zones 5 & 6, plants usually die back to the ground in winter - the roots survive and the plant will push out 4 to 7 feet of new growth along with flowers the next growing season
• In Zones 5 & 6, treat as you would butterfly bush or Russian sage, cut back dead branches in spring and wait for new growth to emerge
• Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer or by seeds
• Tolerates moderate salt air exposure

Problems

Leaf spot and root rot are occasonal problems

Varieties

• Silver Spire - white flowers
• Blushing Spires - soft pink flowers
• Shoal Creek - large, blue-violet flowers borne on 12 to 18 inch long inflorescences
• Montrose Purple - violet flowers
• Rosea - pink flowers
• Lilac Queen - lavender flowers, broad spreading
• Arnold's Cutleaf - blue-purple-lavender flowers, dissected leaflets