Typically called just chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus does quite well in SoCal and is a recommended tree on various lists for the area. Moderately drought tolerant when established.

Perfect, I'll search for chaste tree then and give it my best shot! Thanks so much!

Vitex is a great SoCal plant. I planted the standard size common cultivar at my last house. They grow fast, don't need a lot of water, have nice flowers, interesting leaves, and interesting form and bark as they age. After only a few years it looked like it had been in the garden for years. The only possible negative would be that it's deciduous if you want year round foliage. In my new house I found what is supposed to be a smaller cultivar at my local Lowe's of all places. I planted it in one area and 6 months later redid that part of my garden and decided I either had to rip it out or take a chance on transplanting. It transplanted without a problem, even though I had to sever several large roots to get it out, and started new growth and flowers within weeks. This will be its second growing season, I'm interested in seeing how large it will get this year.

I highly recommend vitex for anyone in southern Cal, even if they are not interested in any supposed health benefits.

Thanks for the response! Yeah, it's a beautiful plant. I wasn't aware that it was deciduous but I can still work with that. Thanks for your detailed response!

I have one in No Cal that requires no attention. Got it at MorningSun Herb Farm.

MorningSun Herb Farm