elderberry and elderflower planting

**Zelenina** · 08-10-2014, 10:05 PM

Hi lebowski. I've got elder in my garden and it's very vigorous and generally grows as a large bush or smallish tree. I don't think it needs any support, and I've never heard of anyone growing it as a cordon and doubt if that's possible. It's probably too big to grow with your other fruit bushes, and would be better in a less formal area or as a hedge. And if you don't prevent the birds eating the berries and distributing the seeds you'll find it growing where you don't want it. There are some purple-leaved and pink-flowered varieties that are very decorative as well as fruitful, and could be grown at the back of a perennial flower border, or as a feature tree in a grassy area.

**Two_Sheds** · 09-10-2014, 04:40 AM

Originally posted by the big lebowski View Post

was wondering how far apart and how tall i should grow them

http://www.garden.org/edi blelandscaping/?page=july_elderberry

There are dozens of wild plants in my locale ~ I wouldn't have a common elder in my garden because they're too big, too wild, too scraggly, but I have a black one in the flower border, that I keep pruned at 5ft max

**starloc** · 09-10-2014, 07:21 AM

I cant see a problem with elderberry tree ( uk style elderberry tree ) in a garden, we had one in the UK for years and they didn't seem to spread
The elder we have over here in Bulgaria, I would never plant.....

If you buy a tree, make sure its a normal elderberry tree never ever plant the one called dwarf elder

Elderberry ( uk style ) is a tree, spreads by seed a bit , we never had a problem

dwarf elderberry is a herbaceous perennial that spreads by extensive root system under the ground between clumps about 8 inch apart, new shoots every year 2 meters high from 1 inch thick roots, spreads by roots tinyest bit of root grows again, seeds don't seem so much a problem, might be ok in a pot...but it will escape through the pot

Sambucus ebulus = dwarf elder family, a weed grown across Europe in fields to make herbal tee
Sambucus nigra ( many types ) is a tree, small tree to big tree but not a weed

**Zelenina** · 09-10-2014, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by starloc View Post

I cant see a problem with elderberry tree ( uk style elderberry tree ) in a garden, we had one in the UK for years and they didn't seem to spread

The birds must have been pooping out the seeds in someone else's garden

In my garden the tree elder is very weedy and pops up all over the place. But I guess not as bad as that dwarf elder, which thankfully I haven't got, because it sounds awful

**chrisdb** · 09-10-2014, 11:49 AM

I have a variety called 'Black Tower' which is supposed to be columnar / very upright. So far that's what it's done so it could be grown in a relatively small space.

The problem is that while it's pretty, with purple leaves and pink flowers, I don't think the yield of flowers is very high. You probably want a variety specially selected for maximum yield of flowers if you're growing it for that.

I've also ordered a Sambucus Canadensis, which is supposed to be a bit more of a shrub than a tree, unlike European elder.

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elderberry and elderflower planting

elderberry and elderflower planting

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