Vitex trifoliaArabian Lilac

Silver on the underside of every leaf, Vitex trifolia flickers whenever the wind moves through it. The Arabian Lilac is a fast aromatic evergreen shrub of 2 to 4 metres, grey-green above and silver-white beneath, carrying spikes of small lavender-blue flowers through the warm months.

It clips hard, takes salt-laden coastal wind and alkaline soils, and holds condition on restrained irrigation, which is why it has become a standard hedging and median shrub across the Gulf.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres, occasionally to 6 metres
• Width2 to 3 metres
• Native toFrom East Africa and India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the Pacific
• FoliageAromatic leaves of one to three leaflets, grey-green above with a silver-white underside; evergreen in warm climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers free-draining ground and tolerates sandy, poor and coastal soils
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical, coastal and hot arid regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSpikes of small lavender-blue flowers through the warm months
• UsesIdeal for informal and clipped hedging, screening, mass shrub planting and coastal and median beds
• SpacingPlant 1.5 to 2 metres apart for a closed hedge
• Low MaintenanceClips well and can be cut hard to renew an old plant
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest-free and resilient
• Drought ToleranceHolds foliage and flower on restrained irrigation
• Salt ToleranceTolerates coastal exposure and salt-laden wind
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked by bees and butterflies

Arabian Lilac is among the most useful hedging shrubs in the hot coastal palette, giving silver foliage, flower and salt tolerance in one plant.