Cutleaf Vitex or Chastetree. If one appreciates billowy branches swaying in a breeze, then this is one of the best subjects, and because the undersides of its leaves are grayish-green, the wind effect is even more dramatic. It will develop into small tree proportions up to 15', but can be kept lower if a shrub is desired. These leaves of this cultivar are so finely divided as to resemble a Lace-leaf Japanese Maple, but they are even more delicate. In spring and early summer in covers itself with lavender spikes at every branch tip. As long as new growth is occurring during the summer, one will continue to have flowers. Vitex has the common name "Chastetree" since Athenian women used the leaves in their beds to keep themselves chaste during the feasts of Ceres. To the untrained eye, one would think that this is marijuana.
Zones 6-9
