skip to main content

Texas Gardening

Do you cut your vitex to the ground every year?

11 years ago

I was just searching for a way to prevent suckers and came across this website that says to cut it to the ground every year. I've never seen anyone do that.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (13)

tx_ag_95
11 years ago
While I (THINK I) typically adhere to the Plant Answers thinking, I have to question this one. It seems to recommend the beheading of crepe myrtles, which has been shown to be detrimental to the plants and result in mis-shapen plants. Chopping the vitex to the grown each year will keep it short, because it has to regrow every spring. I "get" to do that with my lantana every year, and it's always slow to start growing again. It seems that the trimming and cutting back is to promote more flowering. I tend to value the health of the plant over "how much does it bloom". But, I've also been told that I'm weird. So, take this for what it's worth...which may not be much. :)
User
Original Author
11 years ago
I agree. I have thought of cutting mine to the ground though because the wind caught it one year and it is very mishapen. I wouldn't want to do it every year though. I like them tall.
Related Discussions
2 rows raspberries cut to ground every other year
Q
Comments (3)
Corrine: I discovered a method a year or 2 ago employed somewhere in Europe that splits a bed in half longitudinally. This method is for summer (floricane) bearers on a trellis with wires on both outside edges of the bed. In year 1, all primocanes are retained and trained to the east (for instance) side of the bed. In year 2 the now floricanes on the east side are thinned, leaving room on the west side and the rest are left to bear fruit while leaving space and light for the new primocanes to come up on the west side and be trained to the west wires. When the floricanes are done they are removed. The process is repeated, alternating in the following years. I suspect some varieties are well suited to this as they put out so many canes dispersed over both sides of the bed that there are plenty of primocanes to choose from every year. My Lathams haven't been terribly cooperative in this respect yet, kinda like pushing a rope. The method is really for convenience more than maximum yield. I started trying it because the primocanes were so large and extremely deeply imbedded with the floricanes that they were losing more than the bottom half of their leaves by the time fruiting was over and the floricanes removed. It seemed horticulturally prudent to grow the best primocanes to get the best subsequent floricanes and losing all those leaves early in the season would not be good. This year's floricanes are the thickest and tallest the patch has produced in 7 years, I'm hopeful.
...See More
Fig Tree Froze to Ground Every Year (Wrapped)
Q
Comments (5)
Your neighbors and other growers of fig trees in your climate zone can expect their trees to freeze to the ground and then re-sprout ....maybe...each year. In colder climates, fig trees do not do well unless extraordinary precautions are taken to protect the wood and roots from damages due to sub-freezing temperatures. Wrapping trees will not protect the roots in really bad years. Many growers dig a deep trench and bent the trees sideways, and bury the fig trees under 1 foot of soil/sand, and then heavily mulch. Last winter the weather was so freezing cold, and for so long, that many growers lost their trees. At best, the trees froze to the ground and re-sprouted new stems from the roots. If this happens on a regular schedule, you are essentially growing just rooted cuttings, and your trees will have to expend tremendous amounts of reserved energy just to regrow what was killed off by the cold temps. The figs that may form will form late in the season and may, or may not have time to ripen. Growing trees planted in the ground in colder climates is a crap shoot. You may get away with your trees escaping damages for a number of years...if, the winters are mild...but all it takes is just one bad winter to wipe out your trees. Then you can start over. The younger the trees, the more susceptible to winter damages, but even older, established trees can be killed or badly damaged. Thousands of fig trees in and around NYC were killed. Those that survived are now re-growing complete new canopies. NYC is zone-7, but temps. rarely go into the single digits. Most years, the winter temps. are in the high 20s to mid 30s, or higher. Yet, for years, in ground trees were never damaged. Some NYC fig trees had trunks 5"-8" in diameter. Now, they are dead. Zone-6 is considerably worse than NYC. Frank
...See More
Hydrangea having to grow from ground up every year- problem
Q
Comments (5)
Pickin Daisies, I live outside Columbus, Ohio in true Zone 5. I have found the best way for me to overwinter hydrangeas (which I just did 2 days ago) is the following: Step 1: See accompanying pictures. Clip off ONLY THE OLD FLOWER HEADS down to about 1 inch ABOVE (toward the end of the stem) the top-most pair of buds. In some cases, there will be a large bud at the END of the branch. LEAVE IT, do not prune those stems at all. Step 2: Take some twine and tie about a third of the branches together tightly into a bundle. This is an easier job to do for 2 people than one. Use a bowtie like you would on a shoelace so it is easy to just pull an end the next spring to untie it. Step 3: Take each bundle that is tied together, and gently, but forcefully bend it so the tips, and as much of the stems as possible are on the ground without breaking the stems at the base. It may take quite a force to do this, but it will happen without them breaking if you bend from the top of the branches downward toward the ground. Then, use something HEAVY and put it on the ends of the branches to hold them against the ground. While my photo shows to use firewood, this works best when it is split so there is a flat side. Otherwise, the spring in the branches will roll the log right off the end of the hydrangea stems. It always takes me several pieces of wood per bundle of stems to hold them down firmly. Trial and error will show you how much weight is needed. Step 4: Then cover with some type of mulch. I have plenty of chopped up leaves (I use a lawnmower with a bag attachment to get my leaves off the grass and property each year -- they make GREAT mulch!) which I use then to cover the stems and wood to a depth of about 6 inches. The reason this method works best for me, is that the ground provides extra warmth from below, and the leaves and wood on top provide insulation from the intense cold above. I do this for all my macrophylla and serrata type Hydrangeas (other types usually bloom on new wood only) usually in December in my area before the temps go below about 15 degrees, but certainly after they go completely dormant. I then leave them covered like this until well into spring (after the 20 degree temps overnight are gone), which for me is usually the latter part of April to first of May. If you follow this plan, I guarantee you that your buds will survive, and you will have LOTS of flowers much earlier in the year (my Endless Summer and serrata cultivars are in bloom by early June). You will see the difference immediately when you uncover the plants in the spring (DON'T RUSH THE UNCOVERING, as you can uncover too early and get a hard spring freeze that will surely kill the buds you protected all winter!). Good luck!
...See More
Do you prune back your butterfly bush every spring?
Q
Comments (6)
I ran across a test a man did on his showing progress photos. He trimmed one down to the ground in early spring and left the other one next to it untrimmed to compare. By mid season, both shrubs were the exact same height except the untrimmed was not nearly as thick and robust and had far fewer blooms. Also, the dead blooms never fell off from the previous season so he had new blooms with last years together. Part of the experiment was to see if that actually did happen. It did. I am trimming mine next year. chrissy60-- if you want a small shrub there are cultivars that are much smaller available. I saw some just today at Home Depot. They were short and loaded with blooms.
...See More
lucas_tx_gw
11 years ago
Per my thread dry creek bed thread on the gallery, I just had to get all three of mine (which had been trees) cut to the ground due to a severe wind/thunderstorm event.

I'll let you know how they do coming back from the ground. ;-)

Teri
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Are they coming back with tons of suckers?
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
11 years ago
I would think that cutting to the ground would PROMOTE suckers and multiple trunks.
PKponder TX Z7B
11 years ago
I don't cut mine back and each year I have fewer suckers. Your mileage may vary :-)
lucas_tx_gw
11 years ago
I think when you cut them to the ground, the basic idea is what you get back are tons of suckers. Amazingly since being hacked to the ground about two weeks ago mine are now probably 18" tall already. I'll probably just maintain these three as shrubs from now on, they were getting too tall be on the corners of the house anyway.
beachplant
11 years ago
Huh? Never heard of that and never seen anyone cut them to the ground. I wouldn't cut any tree to the ground every year. Our vitex is huge and provides great shade, blooms almost year round and has never sent up a single sucker.

Tally HO!
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
11 years ago
I never had a problem with suckers either. I trimmed branches off of it to train it up so I could walk under it, but I never cut it tback to make it bushier.
linda_tx8
11 years ago
I would never do that! I just hate those mutilated crepe myrtles that people cut down every year and the Vitex only needs just a little modest pruning.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
11 years ago
Europeans just love to do that to trees. I saw that everywhere in Europe when I visited. I always like to think of where a practice like that comes into being. Like bricked up windows (the blind arcade) came into being because Louis the something decided to tax the rich on how many windows they had in the front of their house on the ground floor. So the rich just bricked them up and started a new architectural Fad that has lasted through the centuries. I think the streets being so narrow lead people to cut their trees into lollipops on a yearly bases but then they carried it on to the roadsides outside the villages because they thought the lollipop look was cool in the raking northern light. Being stuck in the brutal southern light , I like as much parted shade as possible. Maybe they wanted to limit the amount of dense shade in their yards......OHHHH , I am trailing off topic. Spank me!
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
11 years ago
Mara, I think the history of customs is extremely interesting. Always wondered about those bricked up windows!

When Barbra took me to a botanical garden at the coast last year they had cut back some of their vitex like the link above shows so that they were more like a bedding plant. They were just covered with huge flowers. Some were left as trees. I wondered at the time what the deal was now I know their purpose in doing that. So I guess it depends on the look you want. You get a whole different look, like a bed of purple flowers, with cutting it back to the ground between each flowering.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Cutting them down is a huge pain, I'd hate to do that very often. I have been stripping the seeds off one of mine when I water it and I just noticed today that it is covered with blooms again.

Related Stories

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Vitex Agnus-Castus Fills Gardens With Fragrant Blooms and Foliage

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Spikes of purple flowers adorn chaste tree’s aromatic foliage throughout the warm season in Southern gardens

DECORATING GUIDES Spring Style: Fresh-Cut Flowers for Every Room

By Laura Gaskill

Graceful, lively or dramatic, fresh flowers make rooms of every shape, size and style that much lovelier

FALL GARDENING Reflecting on a Gardening Year

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Mistakes and successes, surprises and comforts. The garden helps us grow in new ways every year

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Snowberry Pleases Year-Round

Bright spring foliage, pretty summer flowers, white berries in winter ... Symphoricarpos albus is a sight to behold in every season

GROUND COVERS Ground Force: 10 Top Ground Covers for Your Garden

By Carol Bucknell Garden Design

Protect your soil from weeds and drought this summer with a living mulch of ground covers

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Easy Herbs for Every Space

By Marianne Lipanovich

Resilient and forgiving, herbs like mint, thyme and rosemary are simple to grow and look great in both containers and landscape designs

DECORATING GUIDES 9 Things for Every Home’s Wish List

By Toronto Interior Design Group

A splurge, some sparkle and a great place to read. Elements like these can dramatically elevate your interior design

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: A Cheerful Beach House for Every Season

By Vanessa Brunner

Portland designer's own playful getaway warms up the rainy Northwest coast

GARDENING GUIDES The Surprising Ingredients Every Good Garden Should Have

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

See what to do — and not do — for lasting rewards in your landscape

CONTRACTOR TIPS Building Permits: 10 Critical Code Requirements for Every Project

By Matt Clawson

In Part 3 of our series examining the building permit process, we highlight 10 code requirements you should never ignore

Sponsored

More Discussions

Placing the TV on the wall and designing the artificial stone behind t

1

If anyone still reads here …

5

Weed Treatment For Bermuda Grass

6

Crossvine oddness

4

iris not blooming well

8