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Elderberry

19 years ago

Hi all

I planted a "black lace" elderberry as a native bush in my yard this spring. I got no blooms although growth has been quite good. It's past my knee now and the foliage is showy.

Now I am reading that when and if it blooms, the flowers stink.

Questions:

When can i expect blooms? Do I need a second plant? Will the flowers smell bad?

How toxic is the plant really if my toddler eats a leaf?

Anyone have a tried and true recipe for elderberry wine?

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Comments (2)

Judy_B_ON
19 years ago
Sambucus nigra has one subspecies that is a North American native plant and one that is European. As "Black Lace" is a British bred plant, likely it is the European subspecies not the North American one.

Shrubs often need to grow for a year or two before blooming, so be patient.

The leaves, like the leaves of many garden plants contain chemicals that can cause nausea. Never leave a child alone in any garden or allow to explore fields and woods until you are sure that they understand the dangers of tasting any unknown plant and that they will not do it.
Iris GW
19 years ago
I have a 'Black Lace' elderberry and a species one. Both bloomed this year and they did not stink.

I think you get a heavier berry crop if you have two plants, but having two is not required. I had numerous flowers on the Black Lace and not a single berry. The species plant bloomed late this year due to an late freeze, and I only got a few berries. I have had a better crop in years past (and even then I only had the species plant).
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Hardiness zones don't of course address summer conditions, it may be that there are places elsewhere that have as cold a winter but significantly different summers. Summers that permit Sambucus canadensis to ripen. Apart from that American elder occurs in both the north and the south in nature, maybe the cultivar you tried is of southern origin (range map at page below). And behaves differently as far as fruit maturation is concerned than clones from the northern part of the range. With the assurances you have read being based on results with northern origin stock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_canadensis
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Thank you for the replies. I've used dried elderberries to make a juice that then becomes a syrup, floraluk. Simmer them in water with other herbs and then strain and add honey. aziline, this is the first time I've had such a bumper crop of berries. Next year, I'll for sure use some of those flowers if it looks like I'll have a good amount again. I have 5 bushes. Three of one variety and one each of two others. Normally I like to use them fresh. But, it's been that kind of busy year. I've pulled fresh ones and frozen them too this year. I won't let them dry on the stem ever again. lol. Those little stems crumble and make a mess. It's that crumbly mess that is hard to sift out from the dried berries. I'm probably not making much sense. But, once the berries dried, so did the stems, which sort of crumble. Anyway....thanks again for the replies.
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