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Sambucus nigra Black Lace - Black Elder

Sambucus nigra Black Lace ('Eva')
European Elder, Black Elder, Elder, Elderberry, European Elderberry, European black Elderberry

4,6/5
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karine, 05/11/2024

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

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Graden Merit Value-for-money Best-seller
A deciduous shrub with decorative, finely cut foliage of almost black purple, producing lovely pink flowers in June. This elderberry, superb in borders and as a free-standing hedge, is also a hardy plant and easy to cultivate in regular garden soil.
Flower size
12 cm
Height at maturity
2.50 m
Spread at maturity
3 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -34°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil, Damp soil
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Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time March to May, September to November
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Flowering time May to June
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Description

The elderberry or Sambucus nigra Black Lace (Eva) is undoubtedly our favourite with its finely cut foliage in the manner of Japanese maples that retains its dark purple colour throughout the season. It is adorned in early summer with delicate pale pink umbels that fade to creamy white, beautifully highlighted by its dark foliage. They give way to red and then black berries that are a delight for birds. Very accommodating in terms of soil, and perfectly hardy, this shrub is comfortable in most gardens. It looks superb when placed alone or in a free-standing hedge.

Black Lace elderberry, produced in Great Britain in 2002, is a plant belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family, along with honeysuckles. It comes from Sambucus nigra, a wild species widespread in Europe, North Africa, and as far afield as Asia Minor. Black Elder is an opportunistic and highly adaptable species, found widely in clearings, hedges, fallow lands, coastal dunes, or near human settlements where it has coexisted for millennia. It is therefore undemanding and very easy to grow everywhere. It tolerates clay-limestone soils perfectly; even relatively dry ones if they are deep.

The 'Black Lace' form has a bushy and spreading habit, reaching about 2.5 m (8 ft) in height and 3 m (10 ft) in width, with a moderately fast growth rate depending on the growing conditions. Its woody branches are verrucate, greyish in colour, and filled with white pith. From spring to autumn, it bears particularly elegant foliage; its leaves are finely cut into many very thin, laciniate leaflets, of a very dark purple colour. Flowering usually occurs in June (a little earlier or later depending on the climate), in the form of very long-lasting false umbels, 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) wide. The small, fragrant, 5-petalled flowers are a soft, old pink colour and are carried on red petioles. Over time, they lighten almost to white, creating a very pretty gradation on the bush. This flowering attracts many pollinating insects. The fruits, edible and tasty, are black to purplish berries with soft flesh, measuring 6 to 8 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in) in diameter.

Black Lace elderberry is an excellent free-standing hedge plant that is also worth planting alone, at the front of a large shrub border. Like all elderberries, it is very hardy and easy to combine with other spring- or summer-flowering shrubs, or as a backdrop for large perennials (Gunneras, Ligularia, large ferns in moist soil) or along a path. You can also keep it in a large pot or container for 3 or 4 years. It can be combined, for example, with lilacs, mock oranges, flowering apple trees, Prunus, landscape roses or wild roses (burnet, hugonis, moyesii, rugosa, rubrifolia), viburnums, Weigela florida 'Variegata', and many other shrubs.

In the kitchen: the flowers can be prepared in fritters or syrup by macerating them in sugar. The vinegar-pickled buds are used to enhance salads, and the berries are consumed as juice, jelly or jam, or in wine. They give a pleasant perfume to apple cakes. Only the flowers and berries without their petioles are edible as the rest of the plant can be toxic.

In the garden:

Elder leaves are known to accelerate compost decomposition. Black elder leaf infusion is useful in organic gardening to fight against mildew and aphid attacks, or rodents: macerate 1 kg of leaves for a few days in 10 L of water, and spray as needed. It can also be planted in an orchard, where it attracts insect-eating birds.



 

Sambucus nigra Black Lace - Black Elder in pictures

Sambucus nigra Black Lace - Black Elder (Plant habit) Plant habit

Plant habit

Height at maturity 2.50 m
Spread at maturity 3 m
Habit Irregular, bushy
Growth rate fast

Flowering

Flower colour pink
Flowering time May to June
Inflorescence Umbel
Flower size 12 cm
Fragrance slightly scented
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators
Fruit colour red

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour black

Botanical data

Genus

Sambucus

Species

nigra

Cultivar

Black Lace ('Eva')

Family

Caprifoliaceae

Other common names

European Elder, Black Elder, Elder, Elderberry, European Elderberry, European black Elderberry

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference75351

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Planting and care

Easy to grow, Black Lace elderberry can be planted in spring or autumn, in any ordinary, sufficiently deep soil that is not too poor or dry, even though it is fairly tolerant of periods of temporary drought in deep soil once well established. It is very hardy and requires little maintenance. Plant it in a sunny or semi-shaded position; hot and arid positions are not recommended. It is not demanding on the soil, accepting clay, limestone, sand, and even degraded soils. The ideal planting mix is half compost/half garden soil.  To encourage flowering, prune old branches to rejuvenate them and cut back young branches by a third in late winter.

It can be targeted by elder aphids (Aphis sambuci), whose natural predator is the two-spot ladybird Coccinella bipunctata. This very specific aphid does not infest other plants in the garden. There is often an edible mushroom called Judas's ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) found on the black elderberry.

Planting period

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time March to May, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Undergrowth
Type of use Border, Free-standing, Hedge
Hardiness Hardy down to -34°C (USDA zone 4) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Any
Soil type Clayey-chalky (heavy and alkaline), Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Moist soil, Damp soil, Ordinary, deep, rather chalky soil.

Care

Pruning instructions To encourage flowering, prune the old branches to rejuvenate them and shorten the young branches by one third, at the end of winter.
Pruning No pruning necessary
Soil moisture Moist soil, Damp soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground
4,6/5

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