[Umbrian]

Vitex agnus-castus is a beautiful subject that can be grown as a large shrub or small tree. It has attractive palmate leaves and the flowers, that are borne in long panicles, can vary from bright blue, many shades of paler blue and even white although the "white" one I bought is rather a dirty grey shade! The bright bue is certainly the most attractive in my opinion. It starts flowering here, in Umbria Italy, by the end of July and is drought resistant although in "Flowers of the Mediterranean" by Oleg Polunin and Anthony Huxley its habitat is stated as "banks of streams and damp places by the sea" neither of which applies to my garden. The foliage always looks fresh and healthy although it is rather late to come into leaf.

[MikeHardman]

That's lovely.
Looks like it fills the Buddleia niche/role in mediterranean climates (I am bearing in mind being self-sufficient in water requirements once established).
Like Buddleia, it comes in a range of colours including white and pale lilac, and is attractive to butterflies and bees.
Curious that you should comment on the white one looking 'a dirty shade of grey', since the white Buddleia looks a bit muddy too as it goes over into its brown-flowered state.
Some nice further piccies, including those color forms here - http://www.lecooke.com/cms/le-cooke-blog/Vitex-agnus-castus.html
That's it - I want one!
Thanks for posting.

[JTh]

Congratulations with your first photo! This is one of my favourites among the wild bushes around here, there are plenty of them, but I was scared by what Polunin wrote as well, so I never thought it was worthwhile trying, maybe I will now if I could get hold of some of the darker ones..

[Alisdair]

Congratulations, Carole, mastering the fiddly business of posting photos (and much thanks too to Jorun for her helpful guidance). Nice picture, catching its character well. Thanks!!
It definitely is worth trying in non-watered mediterranean gardens, but help the youngsters along with an occasional summer drink.

[Umbrian]

I would be interested to know what colour the flowers are on the wild ones...
I think I was probably a bit harsh on the white flowered one I have. On closer inspection I see that stems below the flower panicles are suffused with a maroony/pinky colour and the buds are of a similair hue. Since the lower flowers open first there are, at the moment ,at the start of flowering, many unopened buds. This all detracts from the whiteness of the flowers. Nevertheless the overall effect of the shrub is very pleasing as it carries many flowers in a very open and elegant way.

[JTh]

The wild ones around here are quite variable, from almost pure white to pinkish, mauve or blue. I found an old photo of one with with very nice white flours, they seemed to be larger than the blue and mauve ones. The photo of the mauve Vitex was taken in Crete last autumn, but it is quite similar to the ones I have seen here. I will certainly try to plant some of these this autumn if I can find them.

[John]

Also in western Crete I have seen a lovely clear pink form from which I did distribute some seed. No doubt this will crop up in other places too.

[JTh]

Has anybody had any luck with propagating this bush from cuttings? It seems as if cuttings taken from midummer until early autumn are the most suitable ones, so I'll see if I can find some with flowers with a good colour and bring them back to Norway when I go home in mid-August.

[John J]

Sorry to enter the Vitex discussion so late but I've been away.
Vitex agnus-castus is native to Cyprus (the Forestry Dept nurseries often have it for sale, Mike) where it is known as Λυγαρια (Osier). It appears to flower better with high heat and minimal water, more water seems to promote growth at the expense of flowers.
I like this plant not only for its aesthetic qualities but also for the wealth of stories attached to it as denoted by its several common names.
Monk's Pepper as its seeds, when used as a pepper substitute, supposedly suppress certain desires.
Chaste Tree refers back to Ancient Greece and the Festival of Thesmophoria. This was dedicated to Demeter and Persephone and was celebrated by married women only who prepared for it by sexual abstinence, strewing their beds with Vitex leaves.
Hemp Plant due to its flexibility. Odysseus used ropes made from Vitex to tie his men to the undersides of the sheep in order to escape from Cyclops after he had blinded him.
There are several more but I don't want to incur the wrath of the Moderators by taking up too much space!

[MikeHardman]

Ooh - Thanks John - noted, and added to my autumn nurseries shopping lists!

[Alisdair]

John, anything which adds to the information on this forum will NEVER incur the wrath of the moderators!

[JTh]

Thank you, John, if your information is right, then it should flower extremely well here, no lack of hot sun, and the water is minimal. There are many more stories about the use of V.A-c from the Greek mythology, I recommend a book I have by Eλμουτ Mπάoυμαν: H ελληνική χλωρίδα στο μύθο, στην τέχνη, στήν λογοτεχνία, which was translated from the original German edition (Hellmut Baumann): Die griechische Pflanzenwelt in Mythos, Kunst und Literatur.

[John J]

Thanks for the book recommendation, Jorun. I'm not sure if this is the right place for me to recommend one but it does also have several stories about Vitex. Anyway Alisdair will no doubt point me in the right direction if I'm wrong. The book is Aromatic and Spicy Plants in Cyprus (From Antiquity to the Present Day) by Georgios N Hadjikyriakou, ISBN No 978 9963 42 852 6 (That's the English version, it's also available in Greek). It's an excellent book, Georgios has devoted his life to plants. He has discovered several Cyprus endemics that are new to science (at least 5 but possibly 6 or 7, or even more by now, I can't keep up with him!)

[Alisdair]

As Jorun says, the Hellmut Baumann book is excellent, full of enjoyable stories. I have the English version, Greek Wild Flowers and Plant Lore in Ancient Greece, in which that great plant man William Stearn had collaborated with Baumann. I don't think it's still in print, but secondhand plant bookshops often have it.

[JTh]

Great to read that it available in English as well, but the used ones are not exactly cheap, I see that Amazon.com sells it from 107.99 $ and up (to 180 $)