I took Shug up the ridge to the store and I was showing her what I thought was a weird wisteria growing up in the woods, but we looked closely at it and it appears to be some kind of short tree or tall bush. And then today, on my way into work, I saw one growing up over the side of the retaining wall where Clarksville Pike crosses 65 there by Fisk. And it is a small tree with silvery lilac clusters of flowers, but the clusters seem to point up instead of hanging down.
It’s gorgeous, but hell if I know what it is. Any ideas?
Tiny Cat Pants 
http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=vitex
Vitex?
Royal Princess tree.
Jilly, I don’t think it can be vitex, since that grows mostly in more tropical climates. But I’m okay with thinking that they might be royal princess trees that have gone rogue, especially if they get flowers before they get leaves.
I have a vitex in my front yard, from my gr gr grandmother’s tree.
Was it a butterfly bush?
My mom grows vitex in Norfolk, VA.
I’d bet on the Princess Tree. Those things are all over the place in the NE now…
I’m guessing it’s a paulonia tree. They’re in full bloom right now.
Royal Paulownia Tree. It looks like a wisteria bloom in color but upright on a tree. Fast growing, but sometimes they freeze back around here.
Well, they’re gorgeous, whatever they are.