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Exceptionally large flowers

Vitex Summertime Blues™

A rounded, shrub-like habit with improved winter hardiness, Summertime Blues has exceptionally large individual flowers held on black stems most of the summer.

This new hybrid vitex breaks all of the rules! Selected from a batch of vitex crosses made by former V.P. of Horticulture, Kris Jarantoski of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Summertime Blues has a rounded habit with exceptionally large individual flowers held on black stems. Just imagine a vitex with improved hardiness, that flowers most of the summer and can be used as a shrub…and you have Summertime Blues!  Undisputedly an improved selection, Summertime Blues offers multi-season interest for gardens from California to Chicago and even in the deep south. Extreme drought tolerance, a more manageable size,  and sterile flowers make the perfect combination for this work horse, easy-to-care-for shrub.

Note: This plant has produced no viable seed for the past 15 years and therefore should not have the invasive tendencies of Vitex rotundifolia, which is one of its parents.

Please note: We don't sell plants. Asking your local retailer or googling the plant name is the easiest way to find someone selling our plants.

Please note: Download hi-res photos from the photo gallery at the bottom of the page.


Who Am I?

  • Common Name

    Summertime Blues chaste tree
  • Botanical Name

    Vitex agnus castus x rotundifolia ‘Helen Froehlich’ PP31660
  • Type

    Shrub
  • Bloom Time

    Summer
  • Bloom Color

    Lavender

Cultural Details

  • Bloom Time

    Summer
  • Size

    4-5' tall by 3-4' wide in the north, 8-10' tall by 5' wide in the south
  • Hardiness Zone

    5-9
  • Light

    Full sun
  • Soil

    Average garden soil
  • Moisture

    Moist, but well-drained
  • Disease & Pests

    None known
  • Landscape Use

    Borders, mass plantings, specimens, urban spaces
  • Propagation

    Cuttings

Available Photos

Hover over images to download hi-res files.