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David L. Morgan
Verbenaceae
Vitex agnus-castus 'Montrose Purple'
Chastetree, Montrose Purple Chastetree
Chastetree is a fast-growing, small tree or large shrub native to southern Europe and western Asia. Distinguished by its glorious spires of small, fragrant, violet-purple flowers that appear from summer to autumn, 'Montrose Purple' is one of the prettier color selections for the garden. Its blooms are also larger than those of wild-type Vitex agnus-castus and plants are known to bloom with vigor well into fall. Highly ornamental, palmate (hand-shaped), gray-green leaves with silvery undersides look great all season and maintain more silver hues if plants are grown in drier locations. The leaves are also aromatic when crushed.
Place chastetree in a sunny location with well-drained soil. It thrives in heat and blooms on new growth from the current season, so it can be pruned in spring if need be. In warm regions, it can be shaped into a small, single or multi-trunked tree. In cooler zones, chastetree grows as a modest-sized perennial shrub because it gets knocked back by extreme cold. Dead wood should be pruned off of cold damaged plants in spring to allow them to rejuvenate.
In climates with milder winters, Vitex agnus-castus will self-sow and can be invasive.
9 - 6
6 - 10
H1, H2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Shrub
Full Sun, Partial Sun
8'-15' / 2.4m - 4.6m
12'-18' / 3.7m - 5.5m
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall
Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Western Asia
Neutral
Well Drained
Clay, Loam, Sand
Drought, Salt
Fast
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Oval/Rounded
Spring, Summer, Fall
Showy
Purple, Violet
Green, Gray Green
Sandy Brown
Yes
No
Single
Coarse
Matte
Smooth
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break
Sometimes
Butterflies
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