Read up on it at MOBOT. In zones below 7, it tends to act as a herbaceous perennial, dying back to the roots in most winters. So no, it won't get huge and won't be aggressive in MA.

I wonder if it really is something that hummingbirds use?

I did a design with 2 of those, z7, Europe

with some other blue stuff, Aster, Geranium, grasses.

they prune it hard each spring, here it grows quite a lot each season

it does reseed

re optics: I personal find it somehow underwhelming, the pale blue-purple hue looks very washed out, rather grey-ish, shifting to more brown when the flowers are spent.

I did a quick web search with the botanical name Vitex agnus-castus + hummingbird, there were no direct hits,

and Missourie botanica gardens only mention "butterfly gardens", so perhaps not really suitable.

some garden ecologist mentioned that unusual flower colors like red indicate rather birds than insects- something about the eyes of the pollinators,

sooo, a pale lavender is rather suitable for insects, and it origins are in Europe/ Asia, no hummingbirds there

Linaria - thanks very much for that well thought out help. I did use the link GGal posted to read up on it more and I was coming to the same conclusion, that the visual was yes, underwhelming. Plus I thought it was long blooming and it's only July August. Which I'm sure is enough on the whole but not what I was expecting. And yes, I was not seeing much mention of hummingbirds either. So I'm deciding to look for something else. It really helps to talk to other gardeners and not have to rely just on internet information.

Well, Jinx, thank you for sharing your experiences with Vitex! Can I change my mind again, and get one? lol I LOVE your photos! Especially since they did well through drought. I had a horrible summer with the worst drought we've ever had - lasted from June to September and I've lost a number of plants from the heat and dry. So, yes a plant that could provide interest to all the pollinators and the hummingbirds too and is drought resistant. I can try it and I'm not averse to ripping something out if it doesn't work out for me. I am doing that this year with Hydrangea Little Lime. I bought two of them 3 years ago, from different suppliers, one is performing as expected, and the other has been a huge disappointment. So it's coming out this week.

I have a place to try that Vitex and I have already decided to add another Butterfly Bush - I have not seen the amount of pollinators that I used to get with that, since I took it out. So I'm going to try both of those next season. I think they are going to fit my purposes fine.

Thank you!

My pleasure! I hope it does well for you. :)

I love watching the variety of insects on it. I plant mostly for pollinators and nothing I have attracts them like my Vitex. When it’s blooming, it’s covered in them.

It’s just so well-behaved and sweet.

I hope we both get milder summers next year! Was triple digits here from June-Sept, nearly zero rain, and constant harsh sun beating down. I’m moving to Alaska if this becomes the norm. :D

LOL - Jinx - I had similar thoughts this past summer about moving north! If I were only 20 years younger. [g] I think though that even in Alaska they are experiencing climate change. Not as bad as we are dealing with it I imagine.

Last summer, I was upset enough to take a serious look at my gardening practices and I am even more committed to, at the very least, growing food. Inflation at the grocery store is horrendous and I am upping my game with trying to grow more vegetables. So, I'm redesigning the garden with drought in mind and putting in more effort and spending more money if necessary to invest in ways to use rain water and conserve moisture. And choose plants wisely. I'm certainly going to grow more heat loving vegetables.

I have a backyard vegetable garden that has just become more and more challenging over the years, with tree roots and shade, so I'm going to take the plunge and move a good portion of it into the front garden where I don't have those issues to deal with, just rabbits. [g] And I'm hoping to set up an automatic watering system tied into a water collection arrangement. I've been using rain barrels for awhile, but after this past summer, I see I need more than that now. And I'm constructing a BERM this fall along the street side and the peak of a mild slope that will hopefully help to prevent run off into the street. The butterfly bushes and Vitex I'm using to draw pollinators to the vegetable beds and as a screen between the street and the vegetable portion of the garden. And being drought tolerant is an important part of those choices too.

It's funny what an effect that drought had on my mind set. I had been considering winding down with some of my gardening and now I'm doing the opposite. lol

Thank you for sharing your plans — I’m having very similar thoughts!

While V. agnus-castus is likely to behave as a die-back perennial above zone 7 or so, it can develop into a tree even in cold winter climates if given a relatively sheltered position with good drainage. I know of an approximate 20-foot Vitex tree in Columbus, Ohio that's obviously survived numerous winters down to -10F or colder.

I took cuttings of my die-back shrub Vitex when I moved to Kentucky and it's been developing into a shrub here with overwintering wood, though our past couple of winters have been on the mild side. Regardless of the outcome, it's worth growing even as a perennial. The variety I have is "Shoal Creek".

I like Vitex I've tried. In my borderline Zone 4/5 I've found them to be more reliable than Buddleia. They completely dieback so I have to be patient with them in the spring.

I have had it on my 'list' for ages. I need to be a bit heartless and brutal with some of the other shrubs, but I think this will be a contender this year. Exactly the same, PrairieMoon. This summer was really quit revelatory - I am starting a new 'waterwise' garden with resilient plants and effective (I hope) mulch. I have previously used roses as foundational planting but will be swapping a lot out for caryopteris, lavenders, teucrium, myrtle...agave and, I hope, vitex agnus-castus.

Rusty - I don’t have a problem with it acting like a die back perennial. My position won’t be sheltered in the least. Thanks for the name of your variety and was it easy to take a cutting from?

Pennilake - I should have good luck with Vitex then because I’ve had Buddliea in the past for about 6 years in a row and removed them. I usually have to be patient with Buddleia in the spring too, so it should be interesting they will be planted adjacent to each other and easy to compare.

Rosaprimula - Yes, I’ve gardened in this same location for 40+ years and never experienced the heat and dry conditions that we did this past summer. I realized it was beyond me to care for the garden without making some major changes. I hope I will be able to change enough to make a difference. I also hope we don’t get another summer like that! [g]

I do still grow roses - although I’ve been very selective to grow only ‘no spray roses’ that perform well for me. The roses did okay for me last summer. Not as good as other seasons by a long shot, but they lived to fight another day. [g] I’d hate to get rid of mine. I have the added issue of heavy clay/loam soil that doesn’t really suit a lot of drought tolerant plants, so I’m having to do a lot of experimentation. I don’t mind, I’m always switching things up. Lol

I have one (from Bluestone) in 6b- some years it dies back to the ground and other years it winters just fine AND the two situations have never shown any correlation to the severity of the winter I am having.

I'd call it a crapshoot, lol.

I did move it to a more sheltered position last year so time will tell.