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.