White fragrant umbels in spring, almost black berries in fall and leaves that may be dark purple or mottled: black elder (Sambucus nigra) is the one elder whose fruit is edible, and its berries are a magnet for birds. Give it sun, cook the berries, and it repays you with jam, lemonade and syrup.
| Name | Sambucus nigra |
|---|---|
| Family | Adoxaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun or part sun |
| Soil | any |
| Foliage | deciduous |
| Flowering | early summer to midsummer |
Elder is planted indifferently in fall or spring.
Planting it in fall makes it easier for the plant to resume growth in spring. If you must plant in spring, provide for regular watering at the beginning to ensure that the roots dive deep into the ground.
It loves sun and any type of soil: chalky, moist, dry…
Elder tolerates damp ground but not soil that stays waterlogged, so break up any compacted layer at the bottom of the hole before planting.
Elder is a tree that calls for almost no care. It is really easygoing and it stands strong in the face of most diseases.
To deepen the hue of your elder, cut back the branches by about ⅓ at the beginning of spring.
It loves rich soil but suits itself nonetheless in ordinary soil, provided the ground isn’t too compact. When planted in fall, in the sun or part sun, within 3 years it will have grown quickly to reach nearly ten feet (three meters). Flowers appear in the second year.
There are different wild and horticultural varieties. Domesticated horticultural varieties make for smaller, more controlled trees. The flowers range from pink to cream, and its leaves can be dark purple (‘Black Beauty’, ‘Black lace’) or mottled (‘Albovariegata’).
Care is redundant: simply remove one third of the old wood at the beginning of spring and mulch in summer.
Beyond the wild hedgerow elder, garden centres and fruit catalogues offer named forms that differ in leaf colour, flower tint and shape of the bush. The table below compares the ones you are most likely to find, whether you want a berry crop or a coloured-leaved feature.
| Variety | Foliage | Flowers | Habit | Grown for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Black Lace’ (= ‘Eva’) | Deep purple-black, finely cut | Pale pink, scented | Tall, arching | Focal shrub, dark berries |
| ‘Black Beauty’ (= ‘Gerda’) | Dark purple, broad leaflets | Pink, lemon-scented | Tall, spreading | Screening, ornamental hedge |
| ‘Black Tower’ (= ‘Eiffel 1’) | Purple-black | Pink-tinged buds | Narrow, columnar, medium | Small gardens, large pots |
| ‘Marginata’ | Green with cream margins | White, scented | Medium to tall | Variegated hedging |
| ‘Guincho Purple’ | Green ageing to purple-bronze | Pink buds opening white | Tall, spreading | Ornamental hedge, berries |
| ‘Aurea’ | Golden yellow, greener in shade | Creamy white | Tall, vigorous | Colour plus a good berry crop |
| ‘Madonna’ | Green with yellow margins | Creamy white | Medium, bushy | Variegated accent |
| ‘Laciniata’ | Green, finely dissected, fern-like | White, scented | Tall, airy | Light, feathery texture |
| ‘Pulverulenta’ | Green heavily speckled white | White | Slow, compact | Small gardens, close viewing |
| ‘Haschberg’ | Plain green | Large white umbels | Tall, vigorous | Heavy berry crop for juice and syrup |
| ‘Samdal’ | Plain green | White, abundant | Tall, upright | Fruit production, easy picking |
Elder furnishes light leafage, a discrete colorful blooming and fruits that are almost black and are a magnet for birds.
They usually grow alongside fields to form wild hedges, but it is also very easy to grow this shrub in your own premises.
With its white fragrant umbels in spring, its berries in fall and its purple or mottled leaves, the “fairy tree” as it is know in Brittany definitely deserves a spot in our gardens. It can rise at the back of a shrub bed, close a wild countryside hedge, or even grow into a tree – if you remove lower branches – for a small garden.
Fruits and flowers can both be consumed. The flowers are even brewed to wine in Scandinavian countries. However, best avoid eating the berries raw because they’re slightly poisonous and might lead to vomiting.
From elder emanates an appealing vanilla-like fragrance.
The berries when cooked are perfectly edible. They make for delicious elderberry jam, lemonade and syrup.
Every part of the shrub has a use, in the kitchen or in the garden, but each has its own timing and its own preparation. Use this table to see at a glance what to pick and what to do with it.
| Part | When | Use | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Spring, early summer to midsummer | Fritters, syrup, liquor, lemonade, wine, dried infusions | Eaten fresh or dried; brewed to wine in Scandinavian countries |
| Berries | Fall | Jam, jelly, compote with apples, lemonade, syrup | Always cooked, never raw |
| Leaves, as compost | Any time | Compost activator | Added straight to the heap, they break down fast |
| Leaves, as decoction | Growing season | Against flea beetles, aphids and cabbage moths; 10 days unboiled repels moles, voles and field mice | 35 oz (1 kg) leaves in 10 quarts (10 liters) water, one day, boil 30 minutes, filter |
| Leaves, as fermented tea | Growing season | Organic treatment against aphids or caterpillars | 35 oz (1 kg) leaves in 10 quarts (10 liters), ferment 3 to 6 days, filter |
Only black elder gives edible fruit, so check which species you are picking from before cooking.
Each part of the elder shrub can be used either in the garden or in the kitchen. Its flowers can be eaten as fritter and are part of syrup, liquor, lemonade, wine… When dried, they make for soothing infusions. The berries have elevated vitamin C content. They can be eaten in jelly, compote (together with apples) and jams.
Elder fruits are edible only for one variety, black elder (Sambucus nigra). Berries from other varieties aren’t edible.
It is important to cook the berries to eliminate any risk of poisoning.
If in doubt, look it up… or you’ll experience gastric disorders.
In the garden, elder is like a vibrant bus station. In spring, its flowers attract butterflies, bees and other useful insects. In summer, birds drop by for berries.
The leaves break down really fast, which makes them good compost activators. They can also be used in decoctions to fight off flea beetles, aphids and cabbage moths. Macerate 35 oz (1 kg) of leaves in 10 quarts (10 liters) water for a day, boil for 30 minutes, filter and spray on your plantations. If you let it macerate for 10 days without boiling, you’ll have prepared a repellent against moles, voles and field mice.
Elder fermented tea is an excellent option to treat plants organically against such parasites as aphids or caterpillars.
The elder fermented tea recipe is easy to follow: 35 oz (1 kg) leaves in 10 quarts (10 liters), ferment for 3 to 6 days and filter before spraying.
Read also on the topic of shrubs:
Elder grows very fast, which makes it a great shrub to hide away from prying eyes.
