PlantFiles: Vitex, Chaste Tree, Lilac Chaste Tree, Monk's Pepper
Vitex agnus-castus 'Abbeville Blue'

this is a big favorite of mine. they grow very, very quickly...from a newly planted 4" pot in spring to 5' tall by summer's end. they have an erratic growing form (going every which way) and although it is possible to train them into a standard, it takes work. i have them bush form and tree form. they are drought tolerant although they do better with regular summer waterings. they are pest and disease free and the bees absolutely adore them. they bloom all summer for me too. full sun or part to mostly shade, they adapt. all in all, i can suggest this plant without reservation to anyone looking for a hardy garden plant, especially in the south where growing conditions are sometimes difficult.

i get mine from bluestone perennials. they are ultra cheap and grow so fast that you'll get your money's worth the first season.

I bought our Vitex and planted it in a southwestern area about 25 feet from our house. It gets late morning and afternoon sun. It is now blooming and is a beautiful specimen. The bush itself is about 3 feet tall and there are approximately 16 deep blue/purple "clusters" of blooms on it. I have noticed that it "wilts" from the heat of the day but after my husband waters it, it perks right back up. Our temperatures have been scorching for the past week and we haven't had rain for about two weeks, so I suspect until this plant gets well established, we will need to water it daily. I live in zone 8b, Chumuckla/Jay, Florida, between the Alabama border and the Gulf Coast.

I have two of the Blue Vitex agnus-castus trees. They were planted here about 8 yrs ago by the previous owners and they are beautiful and very large. They are trouble-free and the birds love to go back and forth to them from the feeder. They have no insects or diseases that I know of. There is a lot of dead wood in the interior of the plant and I can't find anything about pruning them. They are about 15 feet high and about 10-12 ft in width.