Vitex, Arabian Lilac 'Purpurea'

I have this plant and was worried that it would not survive our winter. We had one of the coldest winter this year and to my surprised, t...Read Morehe plant has now started to sprout from underground. I am glad I didn't uprooted it.

I planted this in August last year from a one gallon. We had temperatures below freezing several times in December, and January, with th...Read Moree coldest being around 28 F°. It lost some leaves and some leaves were burned at the edges, and there was some small twig die back, but it survived and is now growing rapidly. It gets partial shade in the mornings and evenings and full sun during the middle of the day.

I have had two for about six months, one in full sun and one in partial shade, both doing well. These grow VERY fast as previously comme...Read Morented but it is not invasive and very tough. Awsome foliage. Although it can grow tall according to the specs, I have easily kept it at shrub size and it continues to bloom.

I am absolutely crazy about this plant, with its lavender underside and its delicate lavender flowers. I grow it as a shrub and it grows...Read More super fast! Supposed to be easy to propagate from cutting, but so far no luck. Mine are planted inground, full sun.
UPDATE Aug 2016. I was trying to grow as a short formal hedge but I found myself pruning monthly during growing season. Too much work! This is best grown as a small tree or large privacy hedge. Still love this plant.

Gorgeous bush all year long. My sources list it as deciduous, but for us (central Israel) it retains most of it's leaves in winter and ra...Read Morether sheds old leaves continually throughout the year. Everything about this plant is interesting: leaf color, fruit, flowers. I especially like the delicate little lavender purple flowers. The plant grows very very fast and is suitable for using as a bush or as a hedge. If left to grow too long between trimming though, it can look pretty ragged after a hard prune....but no worries, it grows so fast that even a 'bad hair cut' will quickly mend itself. It doesn't mind heat at all, but does need a regular supply of water....though it's not an especially thirsty plant. We're in the height of our dry season here in Israel where no rain falls at all for months on end and our 8' wide and 8' tall Vitex only gets 10 liters of water per week. I haven't tried it, but I'm willing to bet we could cut that in half and the Vitex would stand up to the heat just fine. It grows very well on a slope where it can wind upwards as well as trail down the hill gracefully. Here in Israel, they are often used on embankments along highways and a single plant can easily wind it's way to a width of 10 meters or more...despite what any description says. I highly recommend this bush in the garden unless you are very very against any type of pruning.