I have one, and I keep it trained as shrub for now. When I got it from Houston Garden Center, it was kind of leggy and really rootbound (a clearance plant, ugh), so I've been having to shape it up the past three years.
I've read in a few places where people who bought them said that you shouldn't plant it too close to water pipes or your house's foundation because the roots can affect them. I have mine planted way out in the yard away from anything, so I couldn't tell you how much truth there is to that.
Stacey
Do you have a Vitex tree?
Good point QueenB!
Roots can be a huge problem.. When we moved to Hurst back in 67 someone had planted an Elm right above the outgoing Sewer pipe... It had to be cut down, and the whole pipe had to be replaced.. Right down the middle of the front yard.
Moral:
Always check how the lines run before planting a rooty tree.
___________
And oh what an excellent lightening shot rjudd!! That is one of the hardest things to photograph...Super pic!!
Deb
do they have to have full sun? I know gthey repel mosquitos.
My yard would only give them 4-6 hours at the most.
Actually that would be enough caraboof.. At least 6 hours to all day. You are right over the wire. I had one in front with about that much sun and it fared just fine.
Now you will get more vigorous growth with more sunlight, but 6 is enough to keep one going fine enough.
Deb
My poor wee white one actually suffered last summer in our drought and I ended up losing half of it...since it never has shade except in the late evenings. Luckily its coming out real fine right now.. :)
Melanie
Melanie, I love the shape of your tree. I was thinking about doing the same with mine, leaving it multi-stalked but pruning it up so it wouldn't block so much sun. It's too small to think about yet tho.
How in the world does one go about finding out where your pipes are?? Mine's about 25 ft from the house.
Thanks, konkrete.. :) I wanted to keep a slender line to my little tree as it grows...keeping the top full and the bottom more bare...sort of like my 2 small Senna trees. Little sucklings (as my daddy calls them, lol) are popping out along the trunks but I merely pinch them off. I definitely can't afford to let it get bushy...what with my sun loving natives growing along each side of it. My wrens seem happy with the privacy that the leaves afford their wee family. :)
Melanie
Melanie,
That's exactly how I like to train Senna (Alata), too, like a tree. Sheesh, I wound up with 3 different kinds of them this year...Going to have to make some tough decisions about where to plant them all. I'm keeping only 2 of each kind. Privit seems to grow the fastest. Alata runs a close second, and the one with teeny tiny mimosa-like frons the slowest. I love them all, however Alata is still the winner for the magnificent waxxy candles. I have about 8-10 extra Alata seedlings, I will probably plant some at DS's in Justin.
Deb
Deb,that is a neat picture of Senna alata, how tall is that plant? and doesn't it dye for you in the winter?
Josephine.
Thx Josephine,
Yes it seems not to wake up in Spring, no matter how much I have tried covering and mulching...This one reached about 8ft. last year. The foliage alone is wonderful, but the blooms are a feast for the eye.
This year I have them started early, and putting in back (south side), hope to finally get a good blooming.
From the top when it was smaller~
How interesting, Deb! My two senna trees are Senna corymbosa...and produce those wonderful yellow blooms in the Summer... :) And like my Vitex, they look like minature full-grown trees, lol. :)
Melanie
I just trimmed this Vitex. It was very sprawling, and am trying to get it to grow more upright like a tree. I think this is a hybrid, notice how purple the leaves are underneath. I have the other type of Vitex in back, which is more upright and has the stunning blooms.
rjudd,
Your tree looks very familiar to me for sure, but it doesn't have the leaves of a Vitex. Not just the color... It's the leaves.
Vitex has slender 5 pointed leaves... Like this>
:-/ Deb
Here's another look..
Looks like you may have this one RJudd.....?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72467/index.html
I learn something every day on DG.
I think you are on the money Sheila.
Yes, that's it...I just saw it at the nursery today- As you can see the blooms are not impressive, but the purple leaves really are nice. The other vitex in the back garden is my favorite.
The first time I saw one was a couple years ago at a local restaraunt- It was the size of a small tree, completely smothered with the most blue lilac looking flowers... I vowed to have one after that meal. Cameras ready...I'd say blooms in about 3 weeks or so? how bout you guys?
Thanks Sheila~ Ya caught me good on that, and I'm so glad you did!! Whew!! Guess I need to zoom out a bit, I was too tightly focussed on the Monk's Pepper/Chaste Tree Vitex.
My apologies rjudd, It really is a Vitex, and a really nice one too. Great pruning job! What's the fragrance like?
Deb
You know...I really don't sense a fragrance about it.
You need to add your picture to the PF entry. They don't have one that shows that much of the tree.
I just have two little babies of the regular Chaste tree that I can't wait to see grown!
Are they pretty easy to propagate from seed or cuttings, Sheila? I would love to grow another in my back yard. :)
Melanie
I'm pretty sure you want the regular vitex..but just to say- that I did take cuttings of the Purpurea Arabian Vitex.
Melanie, the only ones I have are still babies. So I can't answer your question, but I bet Deb or Josephine will.
I don't have a Vitex, but I hear they are quite easy to propagate form seed, and I imagine cuttings wouldn't be hard to do, if I were you, I would try both.
Josephine.
As for propigating Mel, I have heard many people talk about how they will get invasive if the spent blooms aren't cut. I think that would be after winter when the seeds have been naturally stratified. Good thing too, bc each flower spike will produce hundreds of peppercornish seeds. So I think the seeds would surely require cold moist pretreatment to germinate.
Here are some more comments: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1188
I will do a cutting soon too, will let you know what happens.
Deb
Well, I guess Deb found out about my comment, I hated to tell you girls, because it is a very much loved plant, but it is on the Texas Invasives list. Here is the link;
http://www.texasinvasives.org/Invasives_Database/Results/Detail.asp?Symbol=VIAG
Sorry, I didn't want to rain on your excitement, but at least it is not noxious or prohibited, so it is o.k. to grow it, just be careful with the seeds. I have never seen it growing in the wild, so it must be invasive in other areas.
Josephine.
Josephine, I know you aren't trying to be a "party pooper". ;) I can't believe the Vitex is invasive tho! Butterfly bushes are supposed to be also and I've never seen either growing anywhere other than people's gardens. ?? I'll deadhead it as much as I can until it grows too tall. Maybe we don't get cold weather long enough either for the cold stratification process to be complete?
Now...Goldenrod is a whole other story!! Yikes! I'm not telling anyone (sshhhh) that I actually planted this on purpose. I loved it and wanted it and have been digging it out of my bed, lawn and other plants as fast as I can. gggrrr
Queen Anne's Lace is also invasive but I do love it too! I am diligent about deadheading it tho because I don't want it to take over. I've got lots of new ones this year but I've decided I have to try and maintain some type of order so I'm pulling most babies up.
Oh no kidding...I had one golden rod last year..I have been pulling them up all over the place. I should just let them and the clerodendrum climbing hydrangea duke it out..!
OK, no.........and "Yikes!"
I think I aquired one of these Goldenrods at the last swap, not sure. Sylvia said it makes tall beautiful yellow flowers, and I would love it.. I will take a pic later as it hasn't bloomed yet, and there is still time to put it in the right place....Not next to the Black Hollyhock!!! (That one might have to stand in the corner with a pointy hat.) Then I can love it like Syl said I would. lol.
It's still dark now. I will jump on it after daylight and getting the Ben to school.
Deb
I aquired Maximillion Sunflower last year and feel the same way. I didn't realize one stray plant or root would multiply so much. I think they are lovely, but they may take over my other plants before long! LOL!
I know what you mean, Goldenrod can be very invasive in the garden, and so can Queen Ann's lace, I don't know how they make these judgments as to which plants go on the list.
Maybe I need to find that out.
As far as I am concerned I don't mind if a plant is prolific, I can keep it under control, which I do, maybe they are concerned about plants that could take over the forest, I don't know.
I guess I shouldn't have said anything, but I thought Deb already had read my comment on the PF so I thought I needed to say it. Sorry girls.
Josephine.
Yes, I read it :-)... If the Vitex is left alone in an untended area the seed drop will produce a thick stand and it will spread over time...
Our gardens are so fussed over that I don't see how that could happen..
Deb
No need for you to apologize Josephine!! It's our "duty" to pass on useful info of all sorts! (like putting a penny on a bee sting!) You know people tho, we'll just do what we want to do anyways.
I'm not going to pull up my Vitex or my QAL but I'm informed now and will do my part to keep them under control in my yard. I'm sure that isn't enough for those who would prefer I don't have them at all but it's better than nothing. ;)
Thank You Girls, for not being upset with me, I really appreciate it.
Josephine.
I'm with you Josephine, I don't mind prolific plants..The queens lace I keep a couple really nice big ones..and pull up the rest. I do this with castor beans and the climbing hydrangea. I don't even think about it anymore..just a putter thing for me, and it keeps my eye on things like infections, bugs..etc that otherwise from the 1st day to a 3rd day of it would a big difference.
I'm going to go talk to my Vitex now, and remind it that it is a prolific plant and would it please spread a little!!!
Rj
You are right Harrison, sometimes these prolific plants don't live up to their name.
The most prolific over-achiever in my flowerbed is Blue Mist Flower (Eupatorium), followed very closely by Salvia Garanitica. They don't stay put. And now Sheila has scared me by saying that the Max. Sunflower that I just planted in the center of one flowerbed will take over!! Gardening was supposed to be fun ... not war!
:-)
Carla
This message was edited Apr 5, 2007 12:24 PM
That is the same with the Arabian Vitex....it's a sprawler. I usually prefer to have plants grow as they do with little human pruning..but I had to make an exception with this one. Now it's staked up and pruned for being more tree like. I have not problem with the other Vitex..it grows up..not out..
lol @ talkin' to your vitex..... Well...I've had my purple one for 2 1/2 years and when I deadhead the spent blooms, I just let them fall where they may. But no seedlings are coming up below it....I mean, I wish at least one would so that I could grow it somewhere else..lol Now my Prairie Flame Sumac is a whole other potatter..lol. I've got "sucklings" coming up all over the place...faaar from the mother tree. Sort of like a passion vine....And I had no idea that they did that... :) (lovin' this thread) :)
Melanie
It's cool to talk with plants, it really does work... But, if that Vitex talks back Rj, you'd best start a new thread.
;-O