Chaste? you bet!

Of course, I'm speaking of the tree!  Although I have an abnormal love to garden, I honestly confess to not having much patience for mamby-pamby plants.  Oh, there are a few that I will baby or the little dahlings wouldn't make it.  Quite the contrast, my Chaste tree has to be at the top of the list for "tough old broads of the garden".  Mine is blooming right now and after the 90 some degree heat and lack of rain that we have been having, there is hardly a plant that is so tough and independent as this one.  Independent?  Yep.  No care whatsoever.  I loath the phrase "work horse of the garden".  It sounds like the plant is some homely old pack mule, which is so far from the truth with this plant. 

Chaste trees didn't get their name from any accident.  They were actually used for chastity.  Pliny wrote that it was "to cool the heat of lust".  Pliny evidently was a man and must not have realized that menopause does the same thing!   In ancient Rome, the vestal virgins carried twigs of Chaste trees with them as a symbol of chastity.  In mythology, Hera, the wife of Zeus and who was also the protector of marriage, is said to have been born under a Chaste tree.  Christian Monks lined their walkways into the monasteries with the blossoms.  Such pure and noble people!  Ummmm, not so fast.  Carrying around the plant or walking on the flowers aren't what worked, they wouldn't have been so chaste unless they actually ingested parts of the plant and in that aspect, it actually does work.  Although it is also reported to have the opposite effect, which would be much more fun. 

Whether it makes one more chaste or promiscuous is under debate but the plant has been used for menstrual difficulties and infertility for 2500 years.  It has been tested by German scientist and is actually used for PMS, hotflashes, menopause and to increase lactation in nursing mothers.  This really is the woman's herbal plant.  It is said to "act on the pituitary glands to regulate the production of and induce normalization of the ovarian hormones as well as balance estrogen or progesterone".  There are many supplements on the market, but as with any herbal remedy, it's best to discuss with your doctor before taking.

Vitex agnus-castus is this old gals' Latin name, which comes from the Latin vieo, which means to weave or tie up because it was used in basket making.  It is native to Western Asia and the Mediterranean, which right there should give you a clue to it's growing conditions.  Hot and dry.  It is hardy here in the States to zone 6 with some winter mulching and wind protection.  It has been grown in zone 5 but will probably die back to the ground, only have to start over again in the Spring.  It can get 12-15 ft. tall in most climates, probably taller the farther south you go.  The tree is multi-branched, but I have pruned mine to "lift" it up and make it more like a small tree instead of a shrub.  Since it is a summer bloomer, I prune mine in late-winter to early-spring.  Takes pruning well.  Will start blooming right along mid-June until Autumn and is a huge favorite for the bees and I've even seen a few hummers around the plant.  The flowers resemble a lilac, only a tad more upright.  Chaste trees are pretty fast growing and will even grow faster if given a drink when it's really dry when they're young.  Remember- the newly planted babies need watered until established!

So for us gals, this tree is not only carefree and independent, but has been a huge friend to women through the centuries.  Right there is a reason to have it growing in the garden!