i have all the elderberrys you might want for youe lemon trees. will cuttings be ok? i always send plenty, thanks ahead, molly

Molly, Black Lace can be stubburn to flower, and it should flower if you have another bush or not. It may not fruit without a 2nd bush. I would try Black Beauty, Laciniata or Emerald Lace. You need another cultivar for fruit, not the same one. When I think about it Nigra species is somewhat self fruitful, so you don't need a 2nd bush although a 2nd bush would make them produce more fruit. It's canadensis that is not self fruitful. If you want fruit though best to grow one meant for fruit. Bob mentioned he has Samdal a nigra species that fruits very well. Samyl fruits even better! Both can be obtained from Nourse Farms. I would get that for fruit. Lace and the others are not really great producers as you are finding out. Well some of the ornamentals produce OK Emerald Lace produces fairly well. I like the variegated species, but they too are not grown for fruit as much and require some shade. The really white one Sambucus nigra 'Pulverulenta' is tough to grow. I lost one this year due to the extreme winter. I replaced it this spring. I just like it so much, I'm still trying to figure out how to grow it well. Now the other variegated species Sambucus nigra 'Albovariegata' grows like a weed, but is susceptable to fungal disease, it needs to be sprayed. It is also a very handsome plant. Mine is getting big! I grow them at my cottage as I have low light there and am trying to find low light plants that are edible. it has been a difficult challenge. Cornus Mas though grows well there, and so I have a couple cultivars of that up there. Molly I would try feeding your bush with Holly-Tone. The PH might be too high, and the complete nutrition of Holly-Tone may help if maybe it is a lack of a micro-nutrient. Holly-Tone has sulfur and will lower PH slightly over time. Adding iron might help too. Elders like a PH of around 6.0 A soil test could help determine the problem. Sometimes in low light they will not fruit. .

According to Spring Meadow Nursery yes, the fruit is edible. Looks like a beautiful shrub. Hope you post a follow up as it settles in. Cheers Here is a link that might be useful: black lace

I still have a good amount of non-native plants in my landscape, but I've decided to plant just native from now on. Without significant research of each and every nativar out there, and more that are introduced each year, there's just no simple answer to your question. Nativars have been known to spread or interbreed with local native plants displacing native flora. Sometimes the nativar can support local species, but sometimes not. It's a crapshoot. By planting naturally growing native spieces, it assuridly eliminates any possible negative impacts. I have Canadian elderberry in my yard. I consider it to be one of my most beautiful plants. Cultivated in the garden, it's much more stunning than in the wild IMO. I think the white flowers and red/black berries against green leaves are prettier than the dark leaves with pink flowers of the cultivars that you're considering, but again, that's just my opinion. I can appreciate you wanting a plant that gives a punch of color to an otherwise green landscape. Having said that, I often suggest to people that they not plant burning bush because it is invasive. They say to me that it is not invasive in their yard. I tell them that the birds eat the fruit and spread the seed to natural areas. They say they have never seen fruit on their plants. I say that the fruit is inconspicuous. My point is, you just don't know if the plants in your garden are invasive by simple observation.