Vitex agnus-castus Flip Side - Chaste Tree

Vitex agnus-castus 'Flip Side', also known as Chaste Tree or Monk's Pepper, is a new variety that stands out for its amazing foliage colour, which is dark green with a purple underside. It showcases superb summer flowering in deep lavender-blue, with clusters of highly scented flowers reminiscent of buddleias. This shrub has a more compact and elegant habit than the type species. Flowering is followed by the formation of small compact clusters filled with red and shiny 'peppercorns' that persist throughout winter. Its beautiful foliage is fragrant, as is the entire plant. This deciduous shrub is hardy, undemanding, tolerant of salty soils, and resistant to drought once established. Easy to grow and introduce to the garden, it prefers sunny locations and well-drained soils.

Vitex agnus-castus is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Verbenaceae family, native to the Mediterranean basin and Asia Minor. While it is particularly robust and easy to grow, it is often criticised for its excessive growth, disorderly habit, and somewhat lackluster flowering. All these flaws are corrected with this new 'Flip Side' variety, recently obtained in the United States through the cross-breeding of Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea' and Vitex agnus-castus. It is part of the excellent 'First Editions' collection. 'Flip Side' forms a dense, spreading, and graceful bush. When fully grown, it will measure approximately 2.5 m (8 ft) in height and 3 m (10 ft) in width. Its flowering occurs from July to September, depending on the climate, on the current year's shoots. It often has repeat blooms. Spectacular and dense spikes covered with tiny intense lavender-blue flowers cover the plant. Then small fruits the size of peppercorns appear, which are aromatic, dark red and shiny, and persist until winter. The fast-growing stems are sturdy and very flexible. They bear palmate deciduous leaves, divided into 5 slender lobes, dark olive-green on the upper surface and violet on the lower surface. The foliage releases a strong peppery scent when crushed, hence its nickname of Pepper Tree. Vitex plants develop a very deep root system, allowing them to draw moisture from deep within the soil during dry summers.

Often found in coastal areas, Vitex agnus-castus is drought-resistant once well established. Retaining the qualities of this undemanding and sturdy shrub, the 'Flip Side' variety distinguishes itself with its purple aura, especially when its foliage is stirred by the wind. Its modest growth allows it to fit into small gardens, as a loose hedge or in a grove, alongside oleanders (in mild climates), pink repeat-flowering roses, buddleias, or summer tamarisks.

Its vernacular name of 'Monk's Pepper' dates back to the Middle Ages when some clergymen consumed the shrub's berries to resist the temptations of the flesh. Since then, studies have proven the plant's properties in relieving issues related to hormonal fluctuations in women. In Ancient Greece, Vitex stems were used to make strong ropes. Legend has it that Ulysses tied his companions with such ropes under the bellies of sheep, allowing them to escape from the Cyclops' cave.