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Description

Elderberry is native to most of Europe and North America. It has excellent edible, medicinal and other uses. The flavour of the raw fruit is not acceptable to all tastes, though when cooked it makes delicious jams, preserves, pies etc. It can be used fresh or dried, the dried fruit being less bitter. The fruit is used to add flavour and colour to preserves, jams, pies, sauces, chutneys etc., and is used to make wine. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter and is borne in large clusters in late summer to early autumn. Flowers can be eaten raw, cooked or dried for later use. The flowers are crisp and somewhat juicy. They have an aromatic smell and flavour and are delicious raw as a refreshing snack on a summers day, though one must look out for insects. The flowers are used to add a muscatel flavour to stewed fruits, jellies and jams . They are often used to make a sparkling wine. Sweet tea is made from the dried flowers. The leaves are used to impart a green colouring to oils and fats.
Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer. Form: Rounded.

Sambucus nigra is a deciduous Shrub growing to 6 m by 6 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf from March to November, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by Flies.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light , medium and heavy soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Cultivation

Industrial Crop: Dye Industrial Crop: Medicinal Management: Standard Minor Global Crop
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Massing, Pollard, Standard, Seashore, Specimen. A very easily grown plant, it tolerates most soils and situations, growing well on chalk, but prefers a moist loamy soil. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates some shade but fruits better in a sunny position. Tolerates atmospheric pollution and coastal situations. Another report says that it is intolerant of very smoky atmospheres. The elder is very occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties though most of these have been developed for their ornamental value. The sub-species S. nigra alba has white/green fruits that are nicer than the type species and are quite nice raw. The elder also has a very long history of folk use, both medicinally and for a wide range of other uses. All in all it is a very valuable plant to have in the garden. The leaves often begin to open as early as January and are fully open in April. The leaves fall in October/November in exposed sites, later in sheltered positions. Young stems can be killed by late frosts but they are soon replaced from the ground level. Very tolerant of pruning, plants can be cut back to ground level and will regrow from the base. The flowers have a sweet, almost overpowering smell, not exactly pleasant when inhaled near to for it has fishy undertones, but from a distance its musky scent is appealing. Very resistant to the predations of rabbits. The flowers are very attractive to insects. The fruit is very attractive to birds and this can draw them away from other cultivated fruits. The elder is an early colonizer of derelict land, the seed arriving in the defecations of birds and mammals. It is a very good pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features:Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Attractive flowers or blooms.

HabitatsHedgerows
Habitatsscrub
HabitatsWoods
HabitatsRoadsides
Habitatswaste places etc
Habitatsespecially on disturbed base-rich and nitrogen rich soils.
HabitatsWoodland Garden Sunny Edge
HabitatsDappled Shade
HabitatsShady Edge
HabitatsHedge
HabitatsWoodland Garden Sunny Edge
HabitatsDappled Shade
HabitatsShady Edge
HabitatsHedge
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