The Shoal Creek Chaste Tree, otherwise known as the Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ or Weigela florida ‘Aureovariegata’, Weigela florida ‘Variegata’, Weigela florida ‘Variegata Aurea’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its gray-green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Shoal Creek Chaste Tree Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
The fundamental caring guidelines for every Shoal Creek Chaste Tree can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The Shoal Creek Chaste Tree prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
- Light: Keep your Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family, the genus Weigela and the species Florida, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ (VI-teks AG-nus KAYS-tus).
As with other Weigela’s, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
You might be wondering why your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 4 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, how big does the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree actually get? What should you expect in terms of size? Let’s dive right in…
The Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ can grow up to 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm) in 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm) and 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm) in 4′ – 6′ (120cm – 180cm).
These dimensions make the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree a relatively large shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 72″ (180cm) free so the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively low to average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), and during the summer (early).
Flowers
You can expect your Shoal Creek Chaste Tree to flower around the spring and in the summer months from April to June (spring), and from July to September (summer).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its long bloom season, fragrant and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Shoal Creek Chaste Tree produces some beautiful purple, or red/burgundy, pink and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree have a beautiful gray-green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a opposite organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
The Shoal Creek Chaste Tree is well known for being able to attract hummingbirds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Shoal Creek Chaste Tree? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Vitex Agnus-Castus ‘Shoal Creek’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most mediterranean and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Shoal Creek Chaste Tree’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, others use it for landscaping in a container, specimen, coastal exposure, hedge, or a urban garden.
Companion Plants
Shoal Creek Chaste Tree’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Cotinus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Rosa will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Shoal Creek Chaste Tree in your garden or home.
