Today is the first day in the entire month of November that there is sun shining and a near cloudless sky overhead. We have had rain every day this month; my rain gauge measures over six inches. The ground is so soggy that it’s uncomfortable to walk on it…squish, squish, squish. I will just have to wait for it to dry out a bit before I can get on with my fall chores. All that having been said, I must add my apologies to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for being a day late in the weekly vase. I simply chose not to get out in the garden because of the steady rain on Monday.
The vase this week gives me a chance to highlight the chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) that has rebloomed in October and November after being deadheaded this past July. This particular vitex is from a second generation cutting from its parent at my Aunt Martha’s home in Chatham, VA. It’s too old to have a name, but I would note that it has reliably rebloomed each time I have deadheaded it for almost twenty years. The other vitex in my garden with a named legacy (‘Shoal Creek’) has not bloomed the second time nearly so prolifically as my Aunt’s. That must say something about the old reliable varieties.
Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Again my apologies and thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this meme. Please visit her to see what she and others are sharing with us in their vases this week.
A Walk in the Garden 
Glad to hear you’re getting a break in the weather. Hopefully it lasts for a few days and you get a little bit of a breather!
Plants with a history are always so much more interesting, it’s nice you have this connection.
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Thanks. It’s amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for the spirit. Makes one want to get out and pull some weeds or something.
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We had a year here where it rained the whole spring season it seemed – I wrote a poem about it and posted it – my sister asked me if I wrote the poem on my own which I thought was funny – and I did, of course, It was a tough season, as you described the ground squished as we walked upon it. Mother Nature challenges me every single year with something new. Wonder what 2016 spring will be like. AND – I absolutely love your chaste tree – gorgeous in your photos and gardens. When I get one someday, I will refer back here for tips on care and cutting it back. Thanks!
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Thank you, Cathy. Another nice day today, but the squishy yard is still waiting for me. Hope you can find a vitex for your hardiness zone. They are wonderful.. Many who seem them for the first time think they are butterfly bushes or lilacs.
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Worth the wait. Beautiful John.
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Thanks, Susie. Hope you are drying out a bit.
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Another plant I have not come across before – why does it get called ‘the chaste tree’? It’s very pretty – and I am pleased you have been able to get outside today to pick it after your squishy day yesterday!
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Thanks, Cathy. I read somewhere that it got its name because sipping tea brewed from it leaves or getting a rubdown with some concoction (can only guess which) would lead ancient monks to lead a chaste life. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t speak to its veracity. I considered trying it on my grandsons, but never got around to it.
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We await feedback should you ever decide to experiment… 😉
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My new tree has already lost all of its leaves and the nursery didn’t remove the spent flowers, I can’t wait to see it in flower next year, your vase is truly beautiful.
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I’m so glad you found one. You will love it.
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I think the VItex is one of my favorite plants that I can’t grow. Still a lovely vase, no matter what day.
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Thanks, Jason.
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