PlantFiles Pictures: Vitex, Chaste Tree 'Lavender Lady' (Vitex agnus-castus), 1 by Txplantlady

Txplantlady wrote:
It comes in flushes all summer and fall for me. I think it started in June this year, but we had a slow start this year as far as the Texas heat goes. The first flush can be in may here if it's warm enough. Depends on the weather. The picture you asked about was taken at the beginning of July. I had an even bigger flush in June that looks like all flowers, and it has a new flush now which is smaller than the last one but still very pretty. The plant has been there for years and we trim it often as it grows heavy with leaves and flowers and long branch length so the branches hang down. Although the very top never gets trimmed as it's to tall and still the new flushes come on the top too. So you don't even have to trim it to get a flush. It just likes to bloom periodically with the warm weather. The butterflies love it. What I do is when the blooms are pretty well spent and the branches are heavy and hanging over, I trim a chunk off the end of it until the branch lightens up enough to spring up higher into the air. That's how heavy the branches get with leaves and flowers and also the length of them. Once I do that enough to be able to walk under them without them hitting my head, than I can mow next to it with the lawn tractor with out getting smacked in the face, ha. These small multi-trunk trees or giant bushes if you prefer want to fill in all the way to the ground with leaves and branches, but I always cut away all the greenery on the trunks from the ground up to about 4 1/2' to 5' so you can see the trunks. If it were in an area that I didn't have lawn next to than I might not even bother, just let it fill in to the ground. I love the look of the trunks showing thought and it also makes working around them easier. It has been a month since I trimmed it last and I already need to trim some suckers coming up from the base of the plant again. I will add a picture so you can see what I am talking about and you can also see the current new flush of bloom. I also trim it back on the porch side as it tries to consume my potted plant floor space. The thing fills in tightly so it actually has a good shade under it not a dappled shade. About a week or so ago I actually did something different on the porch side. I trimmed it off the porch but only up to my head height. I was hoping it would make a little shady corner and I could grow some partial shade plants in pots under it. It actually worked. Now it is making a shady spot for me on the porch.The only water it gets is the rain and any it might catch when I water the lawn (which isn't much) I have had this tree for many years. It was originally out in the yard for about 2 years and I just didn't have the patients to mow around it and get slapped in the face by the branches while on the lawn tractor. Granted it was much smaller, but I did by a fairly large one in a 10 gallon pot from a nursery that sells trees as well and they are fast growing. So I transplanted it next to my porch and off the the edge of the lawn. It was big to and yet it survived the transplant. It works out much better in it's current location for me. As soon as it got enough height I cleaned up the trunks so you can see them. I do that with all my trees including my crepe myrtles. I love to see some of the trunk. It has sort of a sage smell to it to which I love. I need to trim the base up now. I was going to do it today while my husband mowed the yard. I will add a picture so you can see what I mean about the tree wanting to grow leaves and branches all the way down to the base. The above pictures I posted were at the beginning of July, I will add a picture of what it looks like now at the end of July and any flowers on it now are a new flush but you can see the suckers growing from the base that I need to trim off. It's easy to do though. Takes a whole 5 minutes. You can also see how fast it gave me a new flush. I know, way more info that you asked, ha. Sorry.