Our Vitex shrubs are in full bloom and hundreds of bees at a time are visiting them.

Isn't it wonderful to see so many at a time? And the buzzing is music.

Dave and Mindy:

One of my gardening mags contains a reference to Vitex as being a fall-blooming shrub and I knew this was incorrect, but maybe there is a fall-blooming cultivar? I don't know, but I know here in NC the vitex blooms before the buddleias and crape myrtles and it took me a long time to figure out what those pretty (Vitex) shrubs were that were blooming so early!

Our always start blooming in early May and continue all the way until the frost!

Angie I did a search to see if I could find a fall blooming cultivator with no luck. Since it does bloom in the fall, it is a fall blooming plant but all sites I checked says it starts blooming in May or June and continues through September.

My articles list the plants when they start blooming because beekeepers need to know when plants bloom and for how long so they can prepare for strong honey flows in their area. Honey bees fill up supers really fast when there are lots of plants blooming at once.

Dave I hope you took a picture of those bees on your vitex plants. .

I thought I did, Margeret, but I can't find it now. I'll take another one soon.

Thanks Dave I love honey bee pictures.