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?
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Common Name:Summertime Blues chaste tree
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Botanical Name:Vitex agnus castus x rotundifolia ‘Helen Froehlich’ PP31660
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Type:Shrub
Cultural Details
TYPE
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Full sun
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Average garden soil
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Moist, but well-drained
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5-9
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Summer
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Lavender
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4-5' tall by 3-4' wide in the north, 8-10' tall by 10-15' wide in the south
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None known
What Makes Me Special?
Landscape Use
Pruning
If you live in the north, and your vitex dies back to the ground each year, simply cut the dead branches back to where you see new growth in early summer, and your plant will regrow from the base and give you flowers in mid-August.
If you live in the south, your vitex may grow into a small tree and never have any dieback. You can prune to shape or keep the plant smaller. Vitex can take a good bit of pruning, so feel free to shape the plant how you would like to keep it a small tree. If there is any branch dieback, remove the dead part of the branch back to where you see live wood or leaves.
