Chastetree

Botanical Name

Vitex agnus-castus

Min Zone

Max Zone

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