Extension Gardener
NC STATE
SPRING 2017
MOUNTAINS NEWS
Tried-and-True: The Chaste Tree
Sow an annual display
Backyard chickens
WNC gardening symposium
Slugs
Spring lawn care
Tips and tasks
STATE NEWS
Tried-and-true
Loofah sponge gourd
Southern bacterial wilt
Organic matter matters!
NC planting calendars
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Vitex or chaste tree {Vitex agnus-castus) is the
perfect shrub or small tree for gardeners who are
looking for something that thrives in unforgiving
conditions, particularly in sandy soils in full sun.
Chaste tree originated in China and India and
was first introduced into North America in 1670.
Today this tree is still cultivated — mainly because
of its wide range of medicinal and herbal uses.
Interestingly, the "chaste" part of the common
name comes from the medieval belief that the
potions made from the berries helped monks
maintain their vows of chastity. Chaste tree has
also served as a replacement tree or shrub for
gardeners who yearn for the lilacs they had to
leave behind when they moved south of the
Mason Dixon line.
Growing conditions for vitex are clear: well-
drained soil, full sun, and plenty of room. If your
site meets those conditions, simply plant vitex
and watch it thrive. Vitex can even be grown in
partly shaded areas, but flower production and
growth will not be as prolific as in full sun. Once
established, chaste tree makes an excellent
specimen plant for your xeric garden. Chaste
tree is also salt-tolerant, so it is a great addition
in areas near the ocean that receive salt spray.
In the past, gardeners without a lot of space
could not grow chaste tree. Some cultivars, such
as 'Cooke's Blue', ’Cooke's Pink’, or 'Cooke's
Purple', could grow as tall as 25 to 30 feet with
the same spread. But recent introductions are
appealing to gardeners with smaller spaces. A
new variety introduced in 2015, 'Blue Diddley,'
is a Proven Winners cultivar with lavender-blue
flowers. This cultivar spreads from 3 feet to 6
feet high and just as wide.
Vitex requires well-drained soil, full sun, and plenty of
room to thrive. ©Elizabeth, CC BY-NC-ND-4.0
'Blue Diddley' offers lavender-blue flowers and a
3-foot to 6-foot spread.
Courtesy of Proven Winners, www.provenwinners.com.
'Blushing Spires' has soft-pink flowers and reaches
small tree size. ©Dawe's Arboretum, Newark, Ohio.
'Blue Puffball’, a 2016 introduction, is a compact,
densely-branched shrub with a maximum height
and spread of 3 feet. The spot-resistant leaves
are shiny and bluish-green. 'Delta Blues' is a
larger cultivar from First Editions that has more
compact flower spikes and a smaller profile of
8 to 10 feet high at maturity. This variety works
well as a container tree for summer color. If you
want something other than purple or blue flow¬
ers, try 'Blushing Spires', a cultivar with soft-pink
flowers and the potential to reach 15 feet by 15
feet at maturity. Its variety of growth habits and
flower colors, as well as its tried-and-true ease
of care, pleasant aroma, and benefit to pollina¬
tors, means that chaste tree deserves a spot in
your garden.
— Sam Marshall
