Like a painting, a garden requires its single bold stroke—a flare that catches the eye and won’t let go. The Arabian lilac is just that. Once overlooked, it’s increasingly appearing in Western Seaboard and West Coast gardens where it grows as if the salt winds themselves were an elixir. No doubt it may soon join that elite group of shrubs that never seem to fail: privet (Ligustrum) and Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis).
From a modest nursery pot, this airy shrub soars to 1.2 m in its first year, doubling to 2.4 m in the second, and if left unchecked will climb beyond 4 m, becoming more tree than shrub. Pruned hard in early spring, Vitex trifolia purpurea ‘Fascination’ obliges with fresh shoots and flowers regardless, for its blooms emerge on the new season’s wood. The flowers—slender, pale lavender spikes—are a considerate afterthought because the true spectacle lies in the tri-foliate leaves. Their beautiful purple hue on the underside creates a stunning contrast with the green upper surface. Fragrant and peppery, they’re a delight to all the senses.
Native to Australia, Vitex trifolia shrugs off wind and even the occasional freeze. Once settled, it only needs weekly watering along the coast.
As hedges, specimen shrubs, or in pots, the Arabian lilac promises theatre to living spaces.
