When does the elder bloom? What varieties of elderberry are there? What do you need to know about caring for and propagating elderberries? We reveal the best tricks.
Even in the Middle Ages, the elder was a valued food and medicine. Out of respect for the valuable plant, men doffed their hats when they passed an elder tree. And even today, the elder is very popular because of its beautiful flowers and many uses.
Elderberry: origin and properties
Elderberry (Sambucus) denotes a genus of plants in the muskwort family (Adoxaceae). There are about 40 species worldwide, distributed from the temperate zones of the northern to the tropical zones of the southern hemisphere. Three types of elder are native to Central Europe. The most well-known of them is certainly the black elder (Sambucus nigra), which is usually referred to as elderberry for short and is also known as "elderberry bush", "holler" or "holder" depending on the region .
This is a strongly branched, round-crowned, fast-growing woody plant whose branches overhang strongly. Depending on the location, the elder grows into a large, bushy shrub or small tree and, without regular pruning, can reach a height of around six to even ten meters and a maximum width of four meters. The bark of the young elderberry bush is light beige to greyish and smooth. With increasing age, a clearly recognizable layer of cork forms on the trunk and thick branches. The green leaves of the black elder consist of five to seven serrated individual leaves and are imparipinnate. They are opposite and often sprout as early as late February to early March.
The elderberry heralds the beginning of summer with its blossoms. The numerous small, five-petalled individual flowers are densely packed in broad umbrella panicles. Insects find valuable food in the elderflowers. The elderflowers are not used for processing into elderflower syrup, for exampleharvested, purple-black, round elderberries form from the pollinated flowers in late summer. Botanically, they are drupes that ripen and can be harvested and processed at the end of September to October. However, since the fruit is a valuable food source for birds, be sure to leave enough fruit for the chirping garden dwellers.
Elderflowers: When do elderflowers bloom?
The dense, white flowers of the elder usually bloom in June. In climatically favorable locations, flowering sometimes begins as early as May.
Elderberry species and varieties
In addition to the black elder, the bushy red elder (Sambucus racemosa) and the dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus) are native to Germany . Within these species, there are a number of different varieties that differ in flower and leaf color, leaf shape, growth height and fruit size.
Black Elderberry
- ′Haschberg′: large-fruited variety; broad growth; fragrant and insect-friendly flowers; 3 - 5 m height; used in fruit growing
- ′Black Beauty′: Special eye-catcher; brown-red glossy foliage; pink-white, lemon-scented flowers; purple-black fruits; up to 3 m high
- ′Black Lace′: foliage initially green-red, later dark red and slightly glossy; slotted sheet; pink buds turn into pink-white flowers with a lemon scent; juicy, black fruits; 2 - 3.5 m height
- ′Golden Tower′: Yellow-leaved columnar elder; columnar growth; yellow-green foliage, deeply dissected leaf; white, racemose flowers; 1.5 - 2.5m in height; also suitable as a potted plant
- ′Black Tower′: red-leaved columnar elder; columnar growth; black-red glossy leaves; pink-white flowers with a lemon scent; attracts butterflies; purple-black fruits; up to 2 m high
- ′Purpurea′: red-leaved elder; bushy growth; dark red foliage, turning green again towards autumn; white flowers; 3 - 5 m height
- ′Marginata′: White variegated foliage; at risk of sunburn in very sun-exposed places
Red Elderberry
The red elder, also called deer or grape elder, stays lower than the black elder. The leaf looks very similar to that of black elder, but is usually made up of fewer individual leaves. As the name suggests, the fruits change color towards maturity - unlike the black oneElder - red.
- ′Sutherland Gold′: Fernleaf gold elder; upright, bushy growth; golden-yellow radiant foliage; flowering period: late April to late May; white flowers; Red fruits; 2 - 3 m height
- ′Plumosa′: Leaves heavily dissected; Red fruits; 2 - 3 m height
- ′Plumosa Aurea′: Fernleaf Gold Elder; bushy growth; leaves heavily incised; foliage first violet, then yellow; Red fruits; 2 - 3 m height
Dwarf Elderberry
The dwarf elder is also known as perennial elder, parakeet and sometimes wild elder. This is a herbaceous species that only reaches heights of around two meters compared to the shrubby species of elderberry. Its flowers bloom between June and July in white to light pink and have an intense fragrance. The leaves of the dwarf elder are larger than those of the previously described species. They grow to about 20 centimeters long and are roughly toothed.
Planting elderberry: Tips for the garden and balcony
The elder does well in a sunny or partially shaded location as well as in the shade. It is a very undemanding plant and thrives in almost any soil. However, it feels particularly at home on moist, humus-rich and calcareous soils. The best time to plant is in autumn or early spring. You can find more information and practical tips for planting the elderberry bush in our special article on planting elderberries.
Care for elderberry
The elder is a very easy-care and frugal tree and does not require any extensive care.
Pouring elderberry
After planting, the elder should be watered regularly so that it forms many roots and grows well. Older plants, on the other hand, hardly need to be watered, they can easily withstand longer periods of drought.
Elderberry fertilize
When planting the elderberry, you should enrich the soil in the planting hole with compost or a long-term fertilizer - such as our primarily organic Plantura organic universal fertilizer. Once established, the elderberry bush does not require any further fertilizer.
Regular pruning is necessary to keep the elder bush in shape and to prevent the wood from aging too quickly. You can find out how to do this in our special article on elderberry pruning.
Propagate elderberry
The propagation of elder succeeds in different ways. The sowing of elder seed is very complex and time-consuming. Cuttings or sticks are much easier. When propagating by cuttings, 10 to 15 centimeter long shoots are cut at the end of June, which have at least one pair of leaves at the top and should already be slightly woody at the bottom. All leaves and blossom ends except for the upper leaves are removed and the cuttings are then placed about three centimeters deep in a container with potting soil, such as our peat-free Plantura organic herb and seed soil. Place the containers with the cuttings in a bright spot, out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil moist at all times to allow the cuttings to root and grow.
Propagation by cuttings works in a similar way, but the cuttings are only cut in late autumn or winter. During this time, the elderberry bush is in hibernation. Cut shoots about ten centimeters long, which have some buds at the top. Put the sticks deeper into the ground than when propagating by cuttings. Only about three centimeters should stick out of the ground. Overwinter the sticks in a light, frost-free place and keep the soil moist.
Is elderberry poisonous?
All three species of elderberry mentioned here are poisonous. Their plant parts contain toxic hydrocyanic acid glycosides such as sambunigrin. It is released in a gaseous form when the leaves are crushed or the shoots are injured. The poison can cause headaches, diarrhea and vomiting, among other things. The black and the red elder are considered to be slightly poisonous, with the red elder having a higher content of toxic substances. The dwarf elder is the most poisonous of the three types of elder and should never be eaten. Therefore, be careful not to confuse the types of elder before harvesting the fruit.
While elderflowers can be processed into elderflower syrup or similar without any special treatment and then consumed, the ripe elderberries must first be heated before processing and consumption. You should therefore not eat unripe and raw fruit, as the toxic substances are only rendered harmless by heat treatment. It should be noted that the seeds in the fruits of the red elderberry are still poisonous even after exposure to heatand should be removed before consumption.
If you are interested in the many uses of elderberry, you can read more about it in our special article on the topic of "Harvesting and using elderberry".
Not only we humans enjoy the elderberry and its products, birds are also happy about its fruits. You can find out which other plants you can use to make your garden bird-friendly and which shrubs birds feel particularly at home in in our special article on native shrubs for birds.