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Vitex Summertime Blues™

Exceptionally large flowers

This new hybrid vitex breaks all of the rules! Selected from a batch of vitex crosses made by former V.P. of Horticulture, Kris Jarantoski of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Summertime Blues has a rounded habit with exceptionally large individual flowers held on black stems. Just imagine a vitex with improved hardiness, that flowers most of the summer and can be used as a shrub…and you have Summertime Blues!  Undisputedly an improved selection, Summertime Blues offers multi-season interest for gardens from California to Chicago and even in the deep south. Extreme drought tolerance, a more manageable size,  and sterile flowers make the perfect combination for this work horse, easy-to-care-for shrub.

Note: This plant has produced no viable seed for the past 15 years and therefore should not have the invasive tendencies of Vitex rotundifolia, which is one of its parents.

Who Am I?

  • Common Name:
    Summertime Blues chaste tree
  • Botanical Name:
    Vitex agnus castus x rotundifolia ‘Helen Froehlich’ PP31660
  • Type:
    Shrub

Cultural Details

TYPE

Shrub
  • Light:
    Full sun
  • Soil:
    Average garden soil
  • Moisture:
    Moist, but well-drained
  • Hardiness Zone
    5-9
  • Bloom Time:
    Summer
  • Bloom Color:
    Lavender
  • Size:
    4-5' tall by 3-4' wide in the north, 8-10' tall by 5' wide in the south
  • Diseases & Pests:
    None known

What Makes Me Special?

A rounded, shrub-like habit with improved winter hardiness, Summertime Blues has exceptionally large individual flowers held on black stems most of the summer.

Landscape Use

Borders, mass plantings, specimens, urban spaces

Propagation

Cuttings

Who Am I?

  • Common Name:
    Summertime Blues chaste tree
  • Botanical Name:
    Vitex agnus castus x rotundifolia ‘Helen Froehlich’ PP31660
  • Type:
    Shrub

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