Vitex is very resilient and should survive even if something has chewed it. You should give it a little water without overwatering just to see if it responds. It usually doesn't put out much new growth during the summer

The Vitex or Chaste Tree needs little or no water. I have never watered mine and it does fine even during a drought with no rain for 18 months and the temps regularly top 100o in the summer.

That's great you are having success with it in Ohio, it's beautiful when it blooms.

I'll let you know if it survives and blooms. It was full of bloom when I planted it last year. One thing I wasn't prepared for is how bushy it is. I expected more of a tree form, as it had four nice main "trunks", but I cut them back early this Spring like it was suggested. Can extra branches or stems be trimmed off at this early stage without harming it or should I wait until it's done blooming?

Prune away. They are very hardy. But be sure to root the pruned pieces, as they root very easily.

The "prettiest" one I had was pruned to a single trunk.
When it was about 2 ft. tall I cut the top off. Then as it made a Y I pinched the left of the Y off. as it grew more I cut the right side then the left again. It grew to be crooked. The family that lives there now call it their Dr. Seuss tree.

I have one in my yard that the original came from my ex-MIL's yard. I cut some and stuck them in water in a milk carton. I wound up in the hospital. When I got home they had rooted.

k

If you want a tree form don't cut it back in the spring. I think they're actually more attractive allowed to grow naturally, rather than pruned back into bushes.

If I were you I'd take a couple healthy clippings to root like Plantmaven suggested.

Darn, I wished I wouldn't have cut it back now; but for some reason I thought it wouldn't bloom if I didn't, not sure where I got that idea. The new growth has appeared all up and down the main leaders (what was left of them) thus causing the bushy effect. I'll have to wait and see what shape the new foliage takes, and then I won't cut back next Spring and see what happens. The only way to learn I guess. Thanks.

Good luck, schoolhouse. I'll bet everything will be fine next year. I was thinking of limbing up mine, but decided to wait and see what they do on their own. I planted two last year and am so excited to learn that it is easy to propagate (thanks, plantmaven). I may try that for a spot where a couple of these would be perfect!

Here are two photos I snapped awhile ago, showing it's growth habit right now. Not sure if you can see the side that is wilted or the center leaders that were nice and thick wood which I cut way down. It was almost 3' tall when I bought it.
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That very young tree sapling behind it, growing in the middle of the phlox, may be from a Pagoda Dogwood that died two years ago! I'm going to wait until Fall to dig it out, that is after the phlox are done.

You will be surprised at the growth this summer. I had the yard guy cut mine very short in, maybe March.

Now it is blooming and the tallest branches are 4 ft.

Do you think our different zones may have something to do with how hardy it is or whether it should be cut back in the Spring or not? I keep coming back to that because it seems to me I read to treat it like a Butterfly Bush.

But then again, I worried my Bush Clover, and there was certainly no reason; it's come back bigger and more beautiful each year.

They are freeway trees/plants here.

If it were me, I would not cut it. If it froze back, I don't think the root would.

The first one I kept pruned like a bush. Had to because it was close to the house. I hated how it looked in the winter after a couple years of pruning like that. So I rooted a cutting and transplanted it where it could grow as a small tree.

When do I take the cutting? early Spring or Fall? I could stick it down by the compost pile and see if it roots.

Ok, next year I won't cut it back and see what happens.

Schoolhouse, this is considered a die-back shrub in Z6 so Z5 is pushing the envelope a bit. Michael Dirr in his book says to use it as a herbaceous perennial in Boston (Z6). It does bloom on new wood so keep us posted. I've always wanted to try one but thought it might be too cold. I'm so pleased to hear yours came back. You might find though that it will never really be a tree form for you.

I take cuttings when they get "woody". But try green also and let us know.

Kathy

thyme, I knew I remembered that advice somewhere on this forum. And blooms on new wood? Thanks for the reminders. I mulched it real good with leaf mulch and didn't cut back the tall Phlox in the Fall that are around it thinking it would provide extra protection over winter. Plus there is a short stone wall on the other side.

In all honesty, I think you are also right about it not becoming tree form, at least in Ohio; because this Spring I was talking to a guy at a nursery on good ways to prune it to two or three good leaders. He looked at me and said, "I don't think you can prune those to tree form". Hmmm, so I'm thinking it should be treated pretty much like a Butterfly Bush. Will keep everyone posted.

Regarding the tree seedling behind which you thought might be from a pagoda dogwood. It looks more like a walnut or similar pinnate leaf to me. You could get it ided on the Name That Plant forum if you post a picture there.

"I don't think you can prune those to tree form"

The tree on the left by the garage is a tree form Vitex. It's been there 20 years.

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We don't get as cold as Ohio, but we do get cold enough that perennials die back to the ground most years. The top goes dormant and the new growth appears on last years branches in the spring.

It makes a great sculpture in the winter.

rock oak deer - I can only wish mine would be able to look like that someday! Thanks for posting.

flora, I also thought of walnut right away because I find those alot around my property having three mature black walnut trees and the new leaves coming at the top really look like it; but I compared the mature leaves and they are not the same. I have a white dogwood tree in the corner of the orchard and I meant to bring up a leaf for comparison but got sidetracked somehow. I'll let you know.

Forgot to mention that I had also tried to grow a red flowering dogwood in this same area some years ago. The stem or trunk reminds me of a dogwood seedling, but as I said before I need to compare leaves from the other dg.

The seedling looks to have pinnate leaves but the picture may be misleading. If they are pinnate then it is definiteley not any kind of dogwood. Do let me know.

Doesn't pinnate mean having a central vein? Looks similar to the leaves on my white dogwood (cornus nuttali). Check out the pic below of dogwood leaves (not mine). But my white dogwood looks the same--if you ignore the anthracnose :( that is killing my old tree.

Here is a link that might be useful: Western White dogwood leaves

I think my understanding of pinnate is wrong. So ignore me. :-)

Schoolhouse, maybe the guy at the nursery meant you can't prune them into tree form in Z5? I have seen them pruned into beautiful small trees in warmer zones. That's when the zone envy takes over. I LOVE vitex. Maybe since I know you've had luck I'll try to find one on my next trip south. I have plenty of rocks I can plant it near for protection.

Ok, thyme. I'm curious how much bloom I'll actually get this year,too.

That's alright eightzoner, at least we learned what "pinnate" means. :)

In a blog I follow there's a photo of a Vitex that has been pruned up with multiple stems that might work.

It's a long post so the pic is 13 from the top or 9 from the bottom. Or close to that count as I may have lost track scrolling up and down.

A great post on a beautiful cottage garden so it's worth taking a look just to see the gardens.

Here is a link that might be useful: Look for the Vitex

Rock, that's wonbyherwit's garden.

My vitex is none so beautiful. I try and try to prune it, it has a mind of it's own. The smaller flowering branches stick STRAIGHT UP or down, I mean it is WEIRD looking, nothing at all as nice and neat as Rock's or Won's. I can't keep it to a lower size, the think is now 20 feet tall. How on earth do you keep yours pruned, Rock. I can cut mine 5 times a year, it only spurs on more growth. Mind you, it is situated to be tall and bushy so that's oK, but the form of yours is so beautiful.

Mine is more a tree/tall bush. I've limbed it up a little, but prefer to keep some low branches too.

Oh wow, I've seen wonbyherwits post but didn't know her garden. It's a beautiful garden and I will use some of her ideas especially the garden going right through the fence. As you can tell by my front yard pic I'm new to cottage style gardens. I'm getting one going in the back but it's not ready for pics yet.

Basically the Vitex is that way because at first we didn't know the name of it and thought it was supposed to be tree. It was here in 1995 when we bought the house and that was before there was so much info on the internet.

How on earth do you keep yours pruned, Rock.. I asked DH, the expert, and he trims it once in the fall when the growth turns brown. He goes around it at the same height. I'll try to find a winter picture.

We have less rain and a lot more heat than Atlanta so the Vitex puts out a spurt of growth in the spring, blooms once and then doesn't grow in the heat of the summer.