Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi
Just found what i think might be an elder bush/tree in my garden. before start pickings to make champagne, can anyone let me know for sure if it is?
elderflowers??? on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
fingers crossed
thanks
xx

No, I don't think they are.
This is a quite good pic for ID purposes;
http://www.pastymuncher.co.uk/blog/w...derflowers.jpg

__________________
Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I am not sure what you have growing in your garden but it isn't elder. Pretty though.

Here's an image of an elder tree in full flower...

http://my.telegraph.co.uk/VirtualCon...0515205454.jpg

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

bu**er! I was looking forward to that!
it is pretty though, especially as it's just in front of a huge purple rhododendron.
would like to know what it is though if anyone has any ideas.
xxx

Are those the leaves that go with the flowers in the picture? The flowers look like buddleia to me (not a big flower person though so probably wrong) but the leaves don't match

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

yes those are the leaves.

Looks a bit like pyracantha - firethorn. The flowers are followed by red (or yellow or orange depending on variety) berries that the birds just love.
By the way, before you use elderflowers give them a good sniffing. Some are lovely, some smell like a cross between a cat's toilet and a pickled ferret. You will be VERY disappointed if you use the nasty ones.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Flum, I just gotta ask - how do you know what a pickled ferret smells like?

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

talking of elderberries ........ can you just eat them? or do you have to juice them? please excuse my ignorance but im sure when i was younger someone told me not to eat them thanks

Elderberries are very sour and not nice to eat - to drink though, they are brilliant I make elderberry and blackberry wine and then use the pulp to make jam/jelly.

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

I think elderberries are mildly poisonous before they are cooked?

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Definitely not elderberry flower, as Flum said it looks like a firethorn. Should be a spectacular sight in autumn if it is. Don't know about elderberries being poisonous, I know that as a youngster we used to eat them straight from the tree, Mind you when I say eat, it was put some in mouth squash with tongue swallow liquid and spit bitter skins out. Also take note to smell flowers before using, STG43 you will know what a pickled ferret smells like when you smell the bad elderflowers.

Ian

I just have an over-active imagination Shirley - and no sense of proportion!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

I understand that they contain something that's mildly emmetic (sp?) when they are raw. You can add a slack handful to an apple pie with great results.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

You can also make a beautiful cordial with the flowers. The berries certainly can't be poisonous to birds, as I always weed out numerous elderflower seedlings each year.

We get purple streaks on the windows and paths in the elderberry season. They aren't poisonous to the birds, but they do semm to improve the 'throughput' situation. No constipated starlings here!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

As others have said, yours is not an elderberry bush. The flowers are a creamy colour not white. Just as a point of interest, an elderberry tree in days gone by was always planted near a dwelling in the countryside as it was believed it warded off evil spirits.

There's one by our side drive and it hasn't managed to ward me off yet!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)