Well, I have 3 BLE.... for about 4 years now.
The first year, it died to the ground.
Subsequent years, it has maintained it's height.
I rarely have flowers. Maybe a couple.

The various "black" cut leaved elderberries were introduced from England with great fanfare a few years ago. There are probably places where they do well, but by and large they have not been a great success in North America.Most nurseries in the northeast US no longer sell them.

Protecting the plant in a very cold zone so that it doesn't die back at all is probably impractical. Perhaps time will help as it seems to have done for thisismelissa. Even in her case, it seems as if most of the flower buds do not survive the winter.

awwww... thats not good. thanks for the info tho :)

mine is doing very well, in southern ON (zone 5), the large branches survive the winter & it certainly comes back very quickly in spring

Maybe mulch the base for winter? IMO they are worth it for the foliage, whether it blooms or not.

I noticed this plant isn't readily available either this year in WI.

Little late on this one, but thought I'd chime in anyway.

I also have three, and, next to my hosta, are my favorite plants in my front yard. I planted them roughly four years ago, from 1 gallon pots. By the 2nd year they were 6' tall and 8' the following year. They are somewhere between 8' & 9' now. I love them mostly for their habit and foliage. Mine bloom profusely but even if they didn't I wouldn't care.

I have a friend who has a couple planted under her living room windows and because they grow so fast she cuts them down every year to about 18".

If it was me I would give it a try.

Another unhappy customer with BLE. I got one a few years ago and put it in a moist area and almost full sun. It has not died outright but rarely gets bigger than a foot. ho-hum. I remember being so excited to find it in the garden center. When will I ever learn...

Mine does beautifully. In bloom now. In a bone dry area of my yard and maybe 12 feet from the back neighbor's 80 foot maple in full sun. Does great. I've seen them at Lowe's up here, haven't looked at the nurseries I go too since I usually am looking at other things.
Cher

Love my BLE! Does great in my zone and stands 8-9 foot tall! It blooms for a very long period. My only small complaint would be during the blooming period it can have some wilt in the lower branches. I gave it a deep watering last night and it perked right up, but seems like I lost a small branch. Has happened years prior also but it is so full. As soon as I prune it out you will never notice. It is in full sun in a sandy/very dry location. Grew like a weed and seems to love its spot for the most part. Maybe the trick is to have it in full sun and dry area??? I never need to give it additional water unless it is in bloom and have had a lack of rain fall.

I have one and Im in Ontario, Canada - Can. zone 5b or US zone 4. It does very well. it will die back to it's woody branch during winter but it comes back big. Right now it's producing flowers. It's located in a part shade condition and by a fence, protected between two tall houses. It's in ground that is often wet because of it's proximity to our faucet and rain drain. It's been growing rapidly after a slow growth the first couple of years. Now I've had to tie it against the fence to control the branching. It is now well over 6 feet. I hope it won't grow much taller as it will be far too tall for it's location.

I would suggest to the person in Alberta to plant it near a brick or stone area because stone and brick will reflect heat at night. Creates a microclimate for the plant. You could try to protect it in winter by mulching but don't burlap it. Burlapping is useless anyway.

------anyway, a question. Are the elderberries of this plant used for jams?

Interesting the very different experiences folks are having with this shrub. So I thought I would add my two cents from Toronto. I have two in my front garden (one of either side of the front walk), which is part sun and clay soil with lots of organic content.

And they are excellent. I keep them relatively small with regular pinching, but I let them go a bit this Spring so I would get flowers and there are dozens on each shrub (still only about three inches across but growing everyday). They are bullet-proof and vigorous, for me, and their colour and form and highly dissected leaves are not easily replaceable.

I have them with (among others) Liberty hosta, pincushion boxwood, Rozanne Geranium, Jack Frost Brunnera, Full Moon Maple, Krossa Regal and Blue Mammoth hostas, and Incrediball hydrangeas. I love the mix but it would be boring without the contrast this shrub brings, which makes everything around it pop. If I can figure out how to post pictures someday, I will.

I bought a Black Lace but want to pollinate it with another elderberry. I can find no suggestions on various site. Can someone help?

Just reviving this thread here! I am also in Edmonton, Alberta. So I am wondering how everyone's Sambucus Black Lace is doing please? How big is yours now please, especially for those in colder climates like Zone 3b or 4a where I am please?

Thank you so much thisismelissa! That is pretty amazing! I had one planted last year, and it was in a 2 gallon pot. This is, it is already about 2.5 to 3 feet tall! It is quite amazing.

I find this to be much more vigorous than the golden ones like Lemony Lace, which has been a total bust for me. I planted 4 last year and all 4 died of verticillium wilt!!! Totally not good....