While I (THINK I) typically adhere to the Plant Answers thinking, I have to question this one. It seems to recommend the beheading of crepe myrtles, which has been shown to be detrimental to the plants and result in mis-shapen plants. Chopping the vitex to the grown each year will keep it short, because it has to regrow every spring. I "get" to do that with my lantana every year, and it's always slow to start growing again. It seems that the trimming and cutting back is to promote more flowering. I tend to value the health of the plant over "how much does it bloom". But, I've also been told that I'm weird. So, take this for what it's worth...which may not be much. :)

I agree. I have thought of cutting mine to the ground though because the wind caught it one year and it is very mishapen. I wouldn't want to do it every year though. I like them tall.

Per my thread dry creek bed thread on the gallery, I just had to get all three of mine (which had been trees) cut to the ground due to a severe wind/thunderstorm event.

I'll let you know how they do coming back from the ground. ;-)

Teri

Are they coming back with tons of suckers?

I would think that cutting to the ground would PROMOTE suckers and multiple trunks.

I don't cut mine back and each year I have fewer suckers. Your mileage may vary :-)

I think when you cut them to the ground, the basic idea is what you get back are tons of suckers. Amazingly since being hacked to the ground about two weeks ago mine are now probably 18" tall already. I'll probably just maintain these three as shrubs from now on, they were getting too tall be on the corners of the house anyway.

Huh? Never heard of that and never seen anyone cut them to the ground. I wouldn't cut any tree to the ground every year. Our vitex is huge and provides great shade, blooms almost year round and has never sent up a single sucker.

Tally HO!

I never had a problem with suckers either. I trimmed branches off of it to train it up so I could walk under it, but I never cut it tback to make it bushier.

I would never do that! I just hate those mutilated crepe myrtles that people cut down every year and the Vitex only needs just a little modest pruning.

Europeans just love to do that to trees. I saw that everywhere in Europe when I visited. I always like to think of where a practice like that comes into being. Like bricked up windows (the blind arcade) came into being because Louis the something decided to tax the rich on how many windows they had in the front of their house on the ground floor. So the rich just bricked them up and started a new architectural Fad that has lasted through the centuries. I think the streets being so narrow lead people to cut their trees into lollipops on a yearly bases but then they carried it on to the roadsides outside the villages because they thought the lollipop look was cool in the raking northern light. Being stuck in the brutal southern light , I like as much parted shade as possible. Maybe they wanted to limit the amount of dense shade in their yards......OHHHH , I am trailing off topic. Spank me!

Mara, I think the history of customs is extremely interesting. Always wondered about those bricked up windows!

When Barbra took me to a botanical garden at the coast last year they had cut back some of their vitex like the link above shows so that they were more like a bedding plant. They were just covered with huge flowers. Some were left as trees. I wondered at the time what the deal was now I know their purpose in doing that. So I guess it depends on the look you want. You get a whole different look, like a bed of purple flowers, with cutting it back to the ground between each flowering.

Cutting them down is a huge pain, I'd hate to do that very often. I have been stripping the seeds off one of mine when I water it and I just noticed today that it is covered with blooms again.