I live in Webster NY and am a retired hort. professional (fanatic, as well). Anyway, I have similar issues with several of my Sambucus ('Madonna', Threadleaf , 'Blacklace' and Lemony Lace). Several years ago, my S. 'Madonna' slowly and painfully died back to the point of me cutting it to the ground and saying a prayer in the fall for a spring rebound. It took several years to rebound but it did. I did see that it had borers, so I attributed the die back to an overlooked borer infestation. The following years each of the other cv's began to show symptoms of patchy die back... frustrating but not lethal. This past spring (2016), same Sambucus issues but I also lost three "choice", newly planted 4 yr. old Japanese Maple grafts as well as a 20 yr old Port Orford Cedar all of which are apparently susceptible to Vascular wilts (aka Verticil, Boltry, Phyto. as well as a noxious Mycoplasm or two). My take on this is that there are years where conditions favor these soil pathogens and pathogen populations push the upper limits as to tolerance of these plants to there presence.... literature suggests that infection requires some type of mechanical damage to the plant but other than weeding w a shuffle hoe and light leaf mold mulching, I can't think of any. My take is it looks like the older, well established plants will rebound but BEWARE of any new plantings that are particularly delicate when it comes to these issues... There are plenty of attractive "bulletproof" perennials to replant in these "troubled" locations and sometimes it as easy as replanting your Sambucus, Peony or Jap. Maple in an alternate, appropriate location in the landscape.... I believe that these issues may be quite site specific ie. just because you get symptoms in one spot in your landscape doesn't necessarily mean you can't grow the same plant in an alternate spot in your landscape w the caveat that growing conditions in your alternate location are "prime" (moist, fertile, well drained soil... you know the drill) Best of luck! T

I have both black lace and the lemony lace. Both from Rpoven Winners. They are planted about 3-4 away from each other. Full sun. Well drained neutral soil. Watered regularly. Zone 8b, Everett WA area. The lemony lace took off the first year (planted in the spring) and has never looked back. I’ll be pruning it hard this fall. Nether black lack is producing leaves but isn’t any taller than it was 2 years ago. It’s certainly not dead but sure not a fast, showy grower. On its third year, there is not enough to prune. My ninebarks grow everywhere, anywhere, ferociously. I love my copper and dark purple ninebark! I’ve been pruning the ninebark since the first year. I love the idea of the lacy black leaves on elderberry but it seems to be a very temperamental plant that looks good in the nursery.......

Hi Bonnie, I totally see what you mean! I moved from Zone 6a to Zone 3/4 in Calgary and what a huge shock that was!!! I so missed my Japanese Maple (it was a lovely dwarf laceleaf one that was so graceful in my front yard in Zone 6a!) and roses that would grow there but not in Zone 3/4! Then the variety of trees that would survive in Calgary was much more limited too. When I first arrived in Calgary, as I got off the plane and was leaving the airport in a car, I looked around and my first response was, "where are the trees!?" I was shocked! Anyway, how big a specimen are you looking for? Could it be a nice shrub or would you like a tree? Do you need something that would look good with its branching structure during winter (then a shrub may be out!) or does it not matter? In terms of my "Japanese maple substitute" shrubs, I have grown elderberries that have done quite well for me in Calgary! I was in Aspen Woods in the SW, so I was up on the hill. I suspect that McKenzie Lake would be warmer??? Anyway, I have tried Sambucus Black Lace, the green one (I forgot the name! It has green finely cut leaves though!), and Sambucus racemosa "Golden Glow" amd I really loved them! I have found them to be more unusual (esp the golden ones) and yet underused in Alberta. The "Golden Glow" remained quite small for me (about 3 ft tall after a good few years) but it was a really amazing specimen shrub! I paired it with Sambucus "Black Lace" and it was stunning. If I find a photo from my Calgary yard showing this pairing, I will show it to you! Now, I have to say that I have NOT had luck with Sambucus "Lemony Lace" though. I grew 3 and all died on me after ONE season!!! So I am avoiding it now. I planted some Sambucus "Sunrise Surprise" last year and they have done amazingly well for me! So that is another golden laceleaf elderberry to look out for.

I pruned mine to death in an attempt to control the growth, and all I was trying to do was keep it around 6x6, the width being my biggest problem. Satellite dish issues, lol. Well, it's not completely dead yet, but enough of it died so that I am replacing it with something smaller this fall. Of course we can't be 100% positive that the aggressive pruning is what did it in, but I have very good conditions in that spot and there was no other reason for it's decline. The enormous, thick woody base just gave up the ghost.