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Shrubs called Vitex agnus castus
Garden plants called Vitex agnus castus, are shrubs or small trees, native to Europe and Asia, belonging to the Verbenaceae family. The vegetables used in herbal medicine are used for ornamental purposes and are characterized by very aromatic foliage and fragrant flowers. With an upright habit and compact stems, they are made up of many branches. The palmately lanceolate leaves are greenish-grey. The flowering period of Vitex agnus castus specimens begins in the spring and, if grown under optimal conditions, lasts until the arrival of autumn. Small flowers gathered in panicles, depending on the variety, can be blue, light blue, white and pink. Subsequently, small fruits appear,
Techniques for growing Vitex agnus castus plants
Vitex agnus castus specimens do not require special cultural attention. In fact, these bushes or small trees adapt to any environmental context, any type of soil can be good for cultivation, the important thing is that it is well drained, to avoid water stagnation, which is detrimental to the root system. The ideal exposure is sunny, they also develop in partial shade but flowering is less abundant. Irrigation is regular in summer, especially for young plants of Vitex agnus castus, during winter irrigation should be suspended. They fear periods of drought and to obtain an exuberant development it is advisable, towards the beginning of winter, to administer a little manure, while in spring
Methods of Propagating Vitex Agnus Castus Plants
The seeds of Vitex agnus castus can be planted both in spring and in autumn, to obtain good germination it is advisable to practice sowing in warm greenhouses. New plants can be planted permanently for the next twelve months. Another technique for propagating Vitex agnus castus garden plants is semi-woody cuttings. The apical tips must be selected and harvested at the end of summer, they must be at least twenty centimeters long. The cut, made obliquely, must be treated with rooting powder. Excess leaves are removed, the cuttings are placed in individual containers filled with well-drained soil, consisting of sand and peat. Sheltered in temperate but shady places, new plants when they put out new shoots of leaves,
There are several hybrid varieties and cultivars selected by crosses of the Vitex agnus castus species. Like the Vitex agnus castus Latifolia, which is characterized by the production of large inflorescences in panicles of blue and light blue color. Or the so-called hybrid variety of Vitex agnus castus Silver Spire which is distinguished by its abundant white flowering. Vitex agnus castus Abbeville Blue is used ornamentally for flowers that appear in late spring in various shades of blue and light blue. Small pink flowers grouped in inflorescences are produced by the so-called Vitex agnus castus Roseus variety, while the rarest to find on the market is Vitex agnus castus var. Negundo, suitable for pot culture, at the beginning of