Chaste-tree
Vitex agnus-castus · Lamiaceae
📷 peganum from Henfield, England · CC BY-SA 2.0
The gardener's calendar
Chaste-tree is in full bloom: enjoy it, watch watering in hot weather and let spent flowers feed pollinators before pruning.
ID card
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Flowering
- July to September
- Adult height
- 2 to 2.5 m
- Adult width
- 1.5 to 2 m
- Growth
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6 to 10 (-20°C)
- Origin
- Mediterranean Basin and Southwest Asia
- Soil type
- Well-drained, tolerates poor soils
✓ Taxonomy verifiedSource: AI estimate · hardiness: reliability medium.
Expert tips
The key tip
Vitex needs proper winter dormancy: if you keep it in a pot, stop watering and feeding from October onwards to guarantee flowering.
The common mistake
Regularly watering in winter or planting in overly damp soil causes root rot and complete lack of flowers.
The pro's trick
Prune hard in late winter (February): this encourages branching and creates better flowering.
Care
Watering
Once established, vitex is very drought-tolerant and requires little water. Water regularly during the first year to encourage root establishment. In summer, weekly watering is sufficient; during rainy periods, natural rainfall is usually enough.
Sunlight
Plant your vitex in full sun for abundant flowering and compact growth. It tolerates partial shade, but flowering will be less generous. Avoid deep shade or overly humid areas.
Pruning and maintenance
Prune lightly in late winter (February-March) to maintain an attractive shape and encourage dense flowering. Remove dead or poorly oriented branches. You can prune more heavily if you want a more compact form or to rejuvenate the plant every 4-5 years.
Soil
Vitex prefers well-drained, light soils. It tolerates poor, chalky, or rocky soils very well. Enrich the soil lightly at planting with compost, but fertile soil is not necessary for healthy growth.
Fertilizer
An annual application of compost or balanced fertilizer in spring is plenty. Avoid excess nitrogen, which promotes foliage at the expense of flowering. Over-fertilized plants are less hardy and robust.
Diseases and pests
Vitex is a very resistant plant, rarely affected by diseases and pests. In very humid areas, watch out for root rot: improve drainage. Mealybugs can rarely infest it; good branch ventilation prevents this issue.
Did you know?
Vitex has been known since Greco-Roman antiquity, where it was called "the plant of chastity": medieval monks would steep its berries to create a beverage believed to moderate desires. Its scientific name "agnus-castus" (chaste lamb) perpetuates this reputation. In reality, its fruits and leaves possess hormonal properties reputed to affect the reproductive system, particularly documented in traditional feminine uses, but these applications fall within the medical domain rather than ornamental.
Where to buy it
Best planted in autumn so the roots settle in before summer, or in early spring once the frost has passed. Pick a plant with healthy foliage and roots that are not exposed. Best time: March, October, November.
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Tips generated and checked by Viridia — adapt them to your local climate.