I have one here in the subtropics, where temps get sky-high, along with the humidity, and it gets the full blast of a fierce afternoon sun, and a frost is unheard of, and it does very nicely thank you, producing loads of flowers and berries nearly all year round. If only the birds didn't eat the berries, and my neighbour didn't trim back the branches on her side of the fence just as the berries are ripening, I'd be very happy indeed with it!

Be warned. It will send up suckers all over the place, and those roots, which spread far and wide, will inhibit the growth of anything nearby. It's a very fast grower, and I don't think you could kill it with an atomic blast. Keep chopping off its head, or it will get too tall for easy harvesting. Mine gets this treatment frequently, and the wretched thing is still taller than my house (single storey). For harvesting, a ladder, and a helping 13yo neighbour are both necessary.

I have a Sambucus nigra here in the Cantral Valley, and while it gets lovely growth and beautiful flowers I haven't had it ever get fruit. I was wondering if I needed a second for pollination.

Westelle, blame the birds! Also, whenever we get a really fierce thunderstorm here (frequent in summer), the flowers get stripped off and so that lot won't ever produce berries. Sometimes the ripening berries are stripped off as well, leaving a unlovely umbel of twigs! Elder certainly doesn't need a second plant for pollination. I still get enough berries to satisfy my needs. I strip them off the umbels and freeze them. I do have other flowering herbs in the garden which attract bees - thyme, rosemary and particularly the basils.

If you can't beat the birds or the weather, you can still use those flowers. Apart from other things, they make a most delicious syrup which is a wonderful medicine for colds and flu, but best of all it's fantastic over ice cream. Try it with your next batch of waffles instead of maple syrup! Make sure the flowers are fresh, though. Once they start to turn a creamy colour, they taste and smell a lot like cat's urine!

Thanks for the info! So, you can make a cough syrup just using the flowers? That's pretty cool. Anyway, I will keep the faith and wait for mine to produce!

Elderflower Syrup
1 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup water
8 cups elderflowers

Make sure the flowers are young and white avoid any which are turning a creamy colour. Boil the sugar, lemon juice and water for 10 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour the syrup over the flowers. Cover with a clean cloth and leave overnight, then strain. Bring the liquid to the boil, remove from heat immediately and bottle. Store in the fridge for several months, discarding if it begins to bubble, ferment, or if any mould appears. Take 2 tablespoons twice a day for 6-8 weeks before hayfever season, or to treat a sinus problem. Add a little to fruit dishes, especially apples and pears, or fruit salads.

Elderflower Cordial
1.5kg sugar
1 litre water
15 or more elderflower heads
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 limes
30g tartaric acid

Dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring to the boil. Add flowers. Place fruit and tartaric acid in a bowl and pour over the syrup. Stir well and cover loosely. Leave for 24 hours. Strain. Bottle as desired. Store for up to 3 months in the fridge, or freeze.

Elderflower Fritters (2)
200g flour (1 3/4 cups)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
pinch salt
16 elderberry blossoms with stems
sugar for dusting
oil for frying

With a whisk, mix the flour, eggs, salt, and milk into a pancake batter. Rinse elderberry blossoms several times, then pat dry with paper towel. Briefly dip the blossoms into the dough, and then deep fry until golden brown. Dust with sugar and serve.

Elderflower Jelly
2kg apples, chopped whole, cores included
1.75 litres water
1kg sugar
6 large elderflowers
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Put apples in a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer until soft and pulpy, about 30 minutes. Line a colander with muslin, pour in the apple mixture and leave overnight to drain without disturbance. Next day, measure the liquid and add 2 cups of sugar to every 600ml of juice. Bring to the boil, adding the elderflowers tied in a piece of muslin. Boil steadily for 20 minutes until a little tested in cold water will set. Remove flowers after 5 minutes, or when the jelly is flavoured to your taste. At the last moment, skim off surface scum and stir in the lemon juice. Bottle and seal when cool.

Elderflower Mousse
200g marscapone cheese
2 tablespoons commercial custard
125ml elderflower cordial
1 cup whipped cream

Whisk all ingredients together to a mousse consistency.

Elderflower and Orange Muffins
1 cup plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup fresh elderflowers
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
orange marmalade

Sift flour with baking powder, salt and sugar, combine with elderflowers. Combine beaten egg, milk and butter. Add all at once to dry ingredients and stir lightly until blended. Quickly stir in orange juice and rind. Fill greased muffin tins to two-thirds full and bake at 190C for about 25 minutes. Serve hot with orange marmalade. If desired, drop a spoonful of orange marmalade on top of each muffin before baking.

WOW! Thanks Daisy. I'll be watching those blossoms next spring.

We always had wild shrubs in Wisconsin, so I always had berries to make jam, but it will be interesting to use the flowers next spring.

Many thanks! I will keep those recipies in a safe place till spring!

Keep in mind that the Elderberry you had in Wisconsin was not Sambucus nigra. S. nigra is the European Elderberry. Most of the fancy leaved forms offered as accent plants are derived from S.nigra which doesn't hold up in my yard - they always come down with some sort of leaf spot. I think both the American species and the European make berries and the berries and flowers are the only parts of the plant you can eat, everything else on the plant is poisonous.

There are some fancy extra large berry varieties out there, but I don't remember who had them for sale.

Ok, since this is one of my all-time favorite plants, I just have to say something...

I leave them to grow from year to year, whereupon they get like trees almost. EAch year they produce better crops just like other fruit trees. I love the flowers, and harvest and dry as many as I can reach early in their flowering season. They will respond by putting on more flowers, and toward summer I leave the flowers so I can get berries. Then in mid to late summer here the berries mature and I harvest them as they turn black.

This is a sacred plant, all of the parts have been used for medicines in the past. The bark and roots are now considered too rough on us to be used, the leaves can be used for some things. Green elder beer was once made from the leaves, I believe, but before any beer gets made, check another source.

Thanks for all the elderberry recipes. They all look great!
JM