Vitex Species, Chaste Tree, Chasteberry, Lilac Chaste Tree, Monk's Pepper

On Aug 1, 2016, cindyvog from Martinsville, IN (Zone 5b) wrote:

This is a potential die-back shrub in Zone 5b, but sure keeps it a nice size without effort. Much prettier than buddlia, (no flopping) and a novelty in my area so passers-by always curious. Easy care, late to show in the spring.

On May 11, 2015, Shibainu from Lodi, CA wrote:

I have had both the white and purple versions for 25 years. Some receive summer water and some don't even in the 110 deg. weather of central California and often without a drop of rain for six months. I prune mine HEAVILY every winter to just a few buds on each branch. They still put on six to 10 feet of new growth each year but stay neat and bloom beautifully. This is the only care they need but without it the blooms are small and the bush unruly filled with brittle dead branchlets.

On Apr 20, 2015, blumz from Trussville, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:

This tree can be a beautiful tree if ... and only if ... you keep it trimmed up in standard form. Otherwise, it will grow branches all the way to the ground and become an eyesore. The other drawback to it's beauty is the fact that it blooms twice during the season - spring and late summer. The blooms must be deadheaded or they will remain on the tree and detract from the attractiveness. I had to drag out a ladder and move it all around and stretch and bend to deadhead the tree twice each season. I eventually removed the two I had in my yard. It was a hard decision because the tree was beautiful .. just way too high maintenance if it is to be kept attractive. If left to grow on it's own it becomes a big unruly mess from ground all the way up.

On Apr 20, 2014, artsathome from Arlington, TN wrote:

The Chaste tree is very easy to grow and I have grown both of mine from cuttings. The youngest is only 3 years old and has a trunk about 3 feet in diameter. It is about 20 feet high. I know I know it isn't supposed to get that big. But this one did. The parent tree the first cutting is not so big but then I have cut it back repeatedly to keep it in check. It has just gotten too big for the spot where I placed it. A word of warning to new growers. This Bush/Tree has large and invasive roots that spread widely. Do not plant it close to your house or your septic system if you have one. It will crack your foundation and completely destroy the septic tank and drains. Otherwise it is a beautiful Tree and attracts both bees and butterflies. I live north of Memphis in Arlington, Tn.

On Aug 16, 2013, Dnode from Glendale, AZ wrote:

I just today (August 16th) planted the first of two 5-gallon sized Chaste Trees here in Phoenix, Arizona (zone 9b), on the western side of the house between the house wall and the block wall surrounding the yard. It will get about 5-6 hours of full sun in that spot, with full shade the rest of the time, until the trees get taller. The soil is clay and was rock hard when I dug the hole, so I dug a bigger hole than planned and amended the soil. My expectation is that I should water less than the generic recommendations because of the clay. Here's hoping for lots of blooms and wall shade next year!

On Mar 30, 2013, amberlwhull from Ocala, FL wrote:

I live in Ocala, FL and this chaste tree is an amazing plant. I had one when I lived on Hayesville, NC and it did amazing as well. 5 years later the plant is 8-9 feet tall 5-7 feet wide. Great plant!

On Sep 23, 2012, burnkl6 from Sunset, TX wrote:

I love these trees. I live in Sunset, Texas. It is hot, hot, hot but my vitex is always pretty.
I have a lot of deer and they have never bothered my vitex. I planted one inside the fence, one outside. I tend to forget to water the one outside the fence, but it does fine.
I just got a pink one, I want to find out if it behaves the same as the violet ones.

On May 23, 2012, snowbirdalabama from Pleasant Grove, AL wrote:

Vitex was a beautiful and large tree in front of my home and I guess I took it for granted. Other than removing new sprouts from the bark in the spring and photographing it sometimes (it even had great bones in the winter and looked wonderful with a dusting of the rare snowstorms) I paid it no heed. Apparently it needs little care. Since losing it in the April 27th tornado last year I've really missed it. I have started a new one....just can't even imagine how many years it will take to get to be a huge tree.

On Jan 9, 2012, BarbaraParis from Comerio, PR (Zone 11) wrote:

I ordered some seeds. I hope they grow well down here.

On Apr 7, 2011, texas234 from Fort Worth, TX wrote:

Vitex has been wonderful! I have two of them and they are doing well. They have added color and brought lots of butterflies and bees.

On Sep 15, 2010, pennylover22 from Muskegon, MI wrote:

We have not grown this plant ourselves but did come across it here in Muskegon Michigan. The plant was 5ft high and about 5 ft wide, the bush was edging by surrounding trees and other plants, but was growing rather nicely with good bloom (which is what got our eye) it seemed to be receiving about 6 hours of sun. The owner of the plant did not know the name of it, we had to do a little research, we are going to buy one and try our luck here in ZONE 5.

On Jul 5, 2010, coffinitup from Pahrump, NV wrote:

Grows beautifully in our desert.
We planted them in full sun with no protection from the wind.
They start blooming in May and continue to bloom into October.
We water once a week in the Spring, and daily when the temperatures reach 90 degrees.
We rarely water them in the winter.
This is a wonderful tree, and the bees love them.

On Aug 17, 2008, leeflea51 from Golden, MS (Zone 7a) wrote:

i've had this bush/tree for about 7-8yrs. and am very impressed each summer when it blooms. It's a prodigious bloomer, with spires of dark lavender blooms. If the faded blooms are removed, often later in the Summer/early Fall, another round of blooms can occur. It is planted in full sun and I seldomly give it supplemental watering. Each Spring, I give it Miracle-Grow feeding of 1TBSP per gallon of water. I've never seen a need for more. For me, it has proven to be drought-tolerant. It attracts bumble bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.

On May 27, 2008, threegardeners from North Augusta, ON wrote:

I received seeds last summer and just for the experiment grew them out and planted them in my Zone 5a garden. I planted them all in different areas of the yard, even put one in a raised bed.

This spring I was amazed to find they all survived our winter!!
Winter lows reached -32C (-26F)

Can't wait for them to get old enough to bloom!!

On Aug 27, 2007, GallatinGardens from Gallatin, TN wrote:

The Vitex is surviving the 3-week, 100 degree heat/drought here in Middle TN, and blooming. I hardly ever water it. I bought it last year for $2 at Lowe's clearance.

I love its vigorous, rounded shape and aroma.

On Jul 27, 2007, xtrucker from Wellfleet, MA wrote:

We have had this tree for 5 years. It blooms in late July thru early fall. We are in zone 6 (MA) and never have had serious die back - just some of the branches. It is grown in an the open area and gets some shade and has no protection from winds. It is beautiful in bloom but is very, very late to leaf out. I know of 5 other Vitex in the area and they all survive our winters which can get and stay below 0* for days. I have seen 2 cut to the ground and come back even more beautiful.

On Dec 15, 2006, frostweed from Josephine, Arlington, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

Vitex, Chaste Tree, Lilac Chaste Tree, Monk's Pepper Vitex agnus-castus is Naturalized in Texas and other States and is considered an invasive plant in Texas.

On Apr 7, 2006, Suze_ from (Zone 7b) wrote:

I love Vitex. Very drought tolerant, and such a nice smell. Vivid periwinkle (or sometimes bright pink or white) flowers that the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds flock to. I basically treat it like a crepe myrtle; it can either be allowed to grow as a bush or be shaped as a single or multitrunked smallish-medium tree. Or as someone else mentioned, it can also be whacked down to ground level each year and will resprout.

On Apr 1, 2005, nick89 from Tallahassee, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

Chaste tree thrives here in Alabama. It is very tough, withstanding heat, humidity, and neglect. Another great thing is fast growth and spectacular flowers. The leaves have a spicy scent. It can get quite large with and there are a number of old specimens in my area.

On Jul 5, 2004, Suen from Leakey, TX wrote:

Last year we planted a long row of chaste trees and we love it. Lots of bee and butterfly action. Not much known about it in this area, but I notice people are waking up to this interesting plant. Noticed in Uvalde paper that the local gardening club had a speaker on "chaste trees." We're looking forward to this wonderful screen from the road. Will either leave them alone or trim bottoms to encourage them to grow into trees. My shrub is primarily 4-5 feet tall.

On Jun 11, 2004, wm from Hagerstown, MD wrote:

Overwinters well in Hagerstown MD.
Bushes ~10 ft tall have light blue flowers with shallow cup
which makes excellent bee forage. The dark purple variety has too deep a cup for bees to work. Bloom is late summer when bee forage is scarce and the bushes are covered with bees. Habit straggles more than a lilac. Have started overwintered seeds in plastic paper cups, slow germination.

On May 24, 2004, Digitalis from New Orleans, LA wrote:

Vitex is a wonderful tree simply because of its beauty! Here in hot and humid New Orleans it's planted around government buildings and in neutral grounds instead of lilacs, for which it is often mistaken.
Not only is vitex great as an ornamental, but it's also a useful herb. The leaves and blossoms create a slightly sour tea that sooths menstrual and PMS symptoms and consuming the berries promotes a healthy cycle. Men, however, should avoid consuming the plant in any way, as it may lower libido and possibly promote impotence because of the naturally-occuring estrogen-like hormones produced by the plant.

On Sep 8, 2003, AusTXpropagater from Austin, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

Vitex, while not native to Texas, thrives here in our hellishly hot summers and mild (with occasional ice storms) winters. In Austin (zone 8b, ~22" precip./year) the Highway Department plants it along IH-35 and no one but God waters it. For some bizarre reason, the landscrapers randomly take a chainsaw to it at ground level -- it promptly returns from dozens of vigorous basal shoots. I have not noticed it spreading noxiously from seed or suckers.

With some difficulty, I have grown it from seed. In a batch of seedlings (~30), several plants produced vaguely pink and white blossoms -- in addition to the usual mauve to deep violet, from the same parent plant. Racemes (floral clusters) on mine usually grow to 8-10". Some cultivars (name unknown) seen in commercial planti... read morengs produce intense violet blossoms in racemes about 18" long. The leaves bear a striking resemblance to marijuana and emit an enchanting spicy fragrance when touched.

On Oct 19, 2002, CoyoteSpirit from Citrus Heights, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:

I have found this tree to be very beautiful when it blooms, providing a breath-taking sea of bright blue/purple-ish flowers, and in the Fall with unusual seed-heads and purple-tinted foliage. It's drought-tolerant and doesn't even flinch in 115*(F) heat spells!

It doesnt like having its roots messed with, so be careful about cultivating around it. I keep a thick layer of wood bark mulch around it to keep the weeds away. All in all this plant is great and it takes very little care to keep it happy.