Chaste Tree: Digging up and Replanting?

Early this year, I found a lovely plant described to me by the nurseryman as a Smoke Bush. Hah! Smoke Bush it is not--Chaste Tree (Vitex) it is. Since I thought it was a bush, I planted it right in the inside corner of my house--perfect for a bush, too close to the house for a tree. So now I have to dig the darned thing out and, hoping to save it, transplant it to another location. It's beautiful: leaves of pale lavender underneath, pale green above, with lovely little racemes of lilac-colored flowers. Unfortunately, I have had to prune it rather severely about every month! So I figure it will grow to a rather large size, maybe 15' or so, and I do have a good place for it.

Can anyone tell me whether trying to save this tree is worth it? If I can keep the rootball intact, it should transplant ok, yes? If not, I should save my sanity and just hack it out of the ground, yes? I will cry. But I'll get over it. In its place will go a SNOW BUSH. Bush, as in shorter than a tree, narrower than a tree and not requiring monthly pruning of 4' per branch! Thanks very much.

Is what you bought and planted actually a "tree", with one trunk and branches radiating out from the crown, or a "bush" ? ( no main trunk, just numerous branches making up the bulk of it ).

Do you know which Vitex you actually got ?

V. agnus-castus... aka Chaste Tree...the deciduous species, can be grown as a shrub OR a tree...(that's why I asked if yours has one main trunk in traditional tree shape). IF yours is more shrub-like (no main trunk) you should be able to cut it back after it loses it's leaves in the fall, and maintain it as a tall shrub. IF you train it as a tree, it can get 25 or 30 ft. tall. Keeping it trimmed as a shrub will keep it shorter, but by trimming it to a desired height, you will lose the main prominent blooms which form on the tips of the branches...but it will send out smaller ones from the side leaf joints.

There is another Vitex, V. rotundifolia...which grows more like a ground cover and roots and it sprawls, growing to about 4 feet tall or under. It has purple blooms.


In answer to your question about moving it, it depends on how big it currently is. You could try moving it after it drops it leaves.

If it hasn't been in the ground very long, (you said "earlier this year" you planted it) you should be able to move it, if you get a decent size root ball when you dig it up...but only do it AFTER it has gone dormant. Your chances of it survivng the move are better that way, because it can use the dormancy period to re-establish it's roots before putting out any new top growth.

I transplanted one that was originally in a 15 gallon container for someone who had planted it right next to a block wall in Agoura Hills.

It had been in the ground for about 18 months. I moved it in early November of last year after it went dormant and it came back just fine.

Thanks, JasperDale, that is just what I needed! This one is definitely a tree. I bought it about 8 months ago, and, you're right: constant pruning means fewer blossoms. While I was away for two weeks, my wonderful neighbor watered for me. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him to NOT include the Vitex. Thanks to the heat wave we had while I was gone, it's branches are growing like crazy! I am talking feet, here, not inches.

Sigh...

I'll have to move it this weekend, dormant or not. Afraid it is going to lift up the new patio. If I have to lose something, better the tree. (That was hard to say.)

Thanks again--you've been very helpful. Now: you have any thoughts about a SNOW BUSH? (The 'Hawaiian' type.) To me, that is the most beautiful plant imaginable. It would serve a similar purpose to the Chaste Tree, and is exactly the right color. I've never been brave enuf to try it, because I don't want to kill such a lovely plant.
The house faces East, U-shaped with the open part to the front, and it gets so hot there, the gardenia planted a month ago literally shriveled up while I was gone. So when it's hot, it's HOT! Loropetalum does well as long as it's watered deeply.( I saved the gardenia by letting water trickle on it for several hours a few days in a row. At least, I think I saved it. Time will tell.)

I really don't think you'll have any trouble removing the Vitex if it's only been in the ground for 8 months. It's doubtful the roots have spread too far in that short period of time.

IF they have, and you're afraid of doing damage to your patio and/or house foundation, get as close to both as possible and just cut the roots. I've never heard of them suckering and sprouting up again and becoming an invasive pest.

By "Hawaiian Snow Bush" are you referring to a plant called "Breynia" ? If so, I've never grown one, but have seen them in full sun here in Long Beach and they appear to do fine, so an eastern exposure like you describe would probably be ok for it.

Thanks, JasperDale, you're a pal! (Yep, it's Breynia.) Reason I'm so concerned about this particular spot is because plants do tend to get crisp in this location. Crisp, as you know, is not a good sign in a plant.

Thanks again. I'll try it.

I have a yard full of "crisp" at the moment due to the stifling heat we've had lately !

I actually made a few wooden frames with shade cloth stapled to them that I use to cover some hydrangeas and other sun sensitive plants that are in odd locations at certain times of the year, due to the way the sun pattern is. They look a little funky for a few days, but they definitely save the plants !