what are you going to use them for

Do you LIKE elderflowers or elderberries?

I have no idea! I've never had one. LOL! I figured you'd all enable me and tell me yes so I'd have to tell my DH that I need some ROFL!

I figured I could learn how to make elderberry syrup for colds etc?

I love my Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis). They are tolerant of partial shade and some drought, and are very vigorous growers. They get big fast, and flower at a relatively young age. However, they need some space, and they also spread by suckers.

When ripe, the berries are tart/sweet. I've read that the raw berries may not be safe, and should be cooked first. That hasn't stopped me from eating a handful of ripe berries, whenever I'm wandering past the shrubs. These shrubs are bird magnets as the birds love the berries too.

Mine were seedlings, but there are some nice cultivars - one that has dark foliage - 'Black Lace' I think?

Well... it's a lot of space and a lot of fighting the birds for a cough syrup. Plus you need two varieties. The stuff DOES work for flu like nothing else, but it's much cheaper to buy elderberry extract.

Your other option is to look for them growing wild. They are just finishing up flowering here, so they may be getting ready to flower in your area, which is the easiest time to ID them and they are clearly noticeable from a pretty good distance once you know what to look for.

Speaking of elderberry extract -- most health food stores and fancier grocery stores like Whole Foods will have it. It'd be an easy way to taste them off-season before investing a few years in getting some berries. Elderberry reminds me of raw black cherries -- they have a bite but they aren't sour.

I like elderberry extract :) its just so darn expensive is all!

I have something in my yard that are wild that look like elderberries (the berry clusters look like it) but the plant itself does NOT look like it. nobody knows what on earth it is. but the berries are sweet and they aren't poisonous. Perhaps i'll get a picture when they fruit?

Sheeshshe:

Be careful eating berries that you find in your yard until you are absolutely certain what they are. There is a highly invasive weed called "Pokeweed" that is common in the east, and produces racemes of berries that turn dark purple when ripe. Pokeweed berries are mildly toxic, though not usually deadly. This weed has large, broad leaves, and forms a large, succulent root system very quickly. They can grow so large in one season that the root systems are nearly impossible to dig out, but 2,4-D will kill them, applied with a little hand sprayer. Birds carry the ripe seeds everywhere, and you can soon have quite an invasion.

Google "Pokeweed" and see if the photos match what you see in your yard. Please don't eat the berries; get rid of this weed if that is what you have.

As for the elderberries, growing berries or anything else involves choices, and elderberries would not be one of mine. There are so many other berries that are better to eat.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Why don't you post a photo and see if someone can ID it? For wild plants it's often easier to find an ID when in bloom.

And what Don said... don't eat random wild plants. There are only few wild plants that can kill you if you only eat a little, but you can get very sick. If you are interested in wild harvesting, find someone in the area that can teach you about your local wild edibles and sustainable harvesting.

OK, I'll google that one. what happened was my DD had eaten some when she was 1 or 2 and I called poison control which told me to take the plant to the local nursery and have them ID it for me. I did and they looked through all their books etc and couldn't figure it out. the owner ate a few and said that they weren't toxic!! my chickens eat them all the time and they feel ok as far as I know, LOL! off to google! TY!

the berries look like pokeweed BUT the way the clusters are on the plant does not look like the pictures I am finding online. the clusters of the berries are in a round clump like an elderberry is.

Just because your chickens eat something doesn't mean it's safe for you.

The clusters of white flowers and dark berries remind me of some sort of wild viburnum -- there are lots and lots of those. But that's just a random guess.

You need to post photos if you want an ID.

I planted elderberries this year in a semi-shaded area (behind my fruit trees) when my the snow broke my paw paws in half. I figure they're low maintenance, the birds love them, and they are pretty (I have 3; black lace is beautiful, a variegated one, and one that has light blue berries.) I may never "process" them for my own use, but I'm happy to have used the shaded area to help the birds. And maybe one day I'll be energetic and make some elderberry syrup or something!

Ann

I absolutely love elderberry jam. It's the best tasting fruit jam I've ever had. I pick wild berries if I can get to them before the birds do, but I've made some cuttings of wild stock last year and planted them in my garden. They're in flower now and only three feet tall.

Next year I expect to have a good crop of berries and I'm making more cuttings now to expand my grove. I'll cover the shrubs with bird netting just before the fruit ripens to thwart the birds. Sorry birds, I won't share them with you.

In Britain, they sell a non-alcoholic elderberry wine. It is absolutely delicious, but I have no idea how to make it.

From WIKIPEDIA Pokeweek
Pokeweed contains phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin, which are poisonous to mammals. However, the berries are eaten by birds, which are not affected by the toxin because the small seeds with very hard outer shells remain intact in the digestive system and are eliminated whole.

Pokeweeds are herbs growing from 1 to 10 ft (0.30 to 3.0 m) tall, although specimens as tall as 14 ft (4.3 m) have been observed. They have single alternate leaves, pointed at the end, with crinkled edges. The stems are often pink or red. The flowers are greenish-white, in long clusters at the ends of the stems. They develop into dark purple berries.

Pokeweed

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The fruit of Elderberries, below, actually look very much like Pokeweed berries, but the plants look much different.

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Trust me, no one would every consider a pokeweed berry "sweet." They are truly awful.

I don't think the OP is in any danger of mistaking pokeweed for elderberry by taste.

I recognize that cultivar - Rick Astley.

Sure, go ahead and plant them. For years we've made elderberry pies from roadside bushes, but now that we grow our own the pies taste even better. They are also free from exhaust fumes. (You can Google for pie, syrup, and wine recipes.) One caution is that American elderberries should be cooked before eating while some European varieties are okay raw. Do a little research first.

I am pretty sure pokeweed is native. If it is native then what is the urgency on ripping it out, exactly?

Pokeweed is native. But, if children WERE eating the berries, you'd want to get rid of it pronto.

Other than that, I recommend not letting it get too big before cutting it down. It gets very tough when it gets big.

the clusters on the berries of the wild plant I am referring to look just like elderberry clusters. only the plants are single stemmed and grow only about a foot high and that is it.

there are no berries on them yet, but maybe I'll get a picture tomorrow anyways

we dont cut down our pokeweed here as we like the greens as they are just as good as spinach only you dont have to plant them...as to elderberries they make some of the best wine you could ever taste

Pokeweed and elderberry plants are very different in appearance and growth habits. Pokeweed berry clusters are very attractive in floral arrangements. I grow the cultivated elderberry varieties Johns and Adams and find that they fruit later than the native variety in Massachusetts. I grew up eating wild elderberries raw while going on nature walks and love the flavor. Elderberries are well worth the effort to grow.

I planted elderberries in the back corner in a damp area. years ago my father in law and i spent all day up in the thumb gathering them. My wife made the best jam and Pa"s wine maker freind made the best wine. The birds love them. I pick them and eat them fresh for the health of it. They are not the tastiest berries fresh but good for you.I dug mine from the wild and a freind donated some. I have the red and black varieties.Leave the unknown berries . some varieties of viburnums are edible and some are not. If you can grow them try some of the service berries. If you can catch them at the right time they are very good but you have to keep the birds away. Usually i just share them. Happy gardening Johnny

I've just noticed what oregonwoodsmoke said back in July. "In Britain, they sell a non-alcoholic elderberry wine". All the elderberry wine I've ever made or drunk was definitely alcoholic. Not to be confused with elderberry cordial or syrup, which is not. Elderflower cordial is also very tasty and is available all over either as a sparkling drink or mixer. We can also get elderflower and apple juice. Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are widespread throughtout the UK and are basically a weed, they are so common.

Here is a link that might be useful: Elderberry wine

I live in Eastern Washington and Elderberry grows wild along the creek bottoms here. I think it's blue elderberry. The wild plants have tons of berries on them in the fall but I never see anything eating them.....birds or otherwise. I have been told the are etible but very sour. They grow like crazy if you plant them in a tarp, the kind used to keep weeds back.

My Elderberries flower and ripen progressively over a couple months, and the clusters of berries are very prolific. I haven't really had to fight the birds for the berries - they don't eat them all at once, but nibble on them gradually over several months from mid-summer to early fall. I enjoyed watching many different species of birds that are attracted to these berries.

I recently bought some Elderberry juice concentrate in a bottle at the health food store. I mix it with water or some berry-flavored seltzer and it makes a refreshing drink.

i got 2 nova elderberry they don't need another variety to pollinate I'll be getting shoots off my husbands aunts bush its huuuuuuge you can wrap the shoot in alum foil filled with dirt and it will root do it when they are dormant. They make a fantastic privacy fence you have to allow app 6' around for each plant they get really bushy