American Elderberry By Susan Camp Jim and I spent a month last spring, train-hopping to the beautiful capital cities of several Eastern European countries. Our final stay was in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a lovely old town of friendly citizens and great food and wine. A daylong excursion into the countryside with a tour guide and several other visitors from England, Australia, and the United States took us through fairy-tale forests and medieval villages on modern highways. At mid-morning, we stopped at an inn that dates back to the Middle Ages, and now serves as a bed and breakfast. In the ancient dining room, our group was treated to homemade bread, local wine, cheeses, and dry-cured ham called prsut. We tried a sweet, floral- tasting drink called elderflower water. Our host told us that elderflower water traditionally is drunk as a spring tonic to refresh the body after the long winter. I later discovered that elderflower water is a popular drink throughout Eastern Europe. Later in the summer, the ripe elderberries are made into jam, syrup, fruit pies, liqueur, and wine. After we arrived home, I read about the uses of elderberry flowers and fruit in traditional folk medicine and decided the shrub would be an interesting plant to grow. I recently purchased three elderberry bushes and we have found the perfect spot for them. American or black elderberry (Sambucus canadensis or S. nigra ssp. canadensis) is native to eastern and central North America in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. It is a close relative of common elderberry (S. nigra), which is a European native. Elderberry is a deciduous shrub with a graceful, loose, arching habit. The woody and herbaceous branches reach 5 to 12 feet in height with a similar spread. Elderberry prefers moist to wet, well- drained, loamy soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 in full sun to part shade. In the wild, elderberry often is found in old fields, bogs, and ditches, and tolerates clay and wet soil. The long branches bear large, oval, dark-green, compound leaves. Roots, stems, leaves, and unripe fruit are toxic and should not be consumed, as they cause very unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. Broad, flat clusters of tiny, white, lemon-scented flowers bloom in May and June. The purplish-black drupes, or stone-fruit, appear in late summer. The fruit is not considered tasty when raw. Elderberries are high in Vitamin C and other nutrients and are labeled a “superfood” for their nutritional value. Sambucus produces suckers that must be pruned unless you are developing a hedge or naturalizing an area. Usually grown as a multi-trunked shrub, elderberry can be pruned to a single, central trunk. In late winter or early spring, remove damaged and diseased stems and remove or shorten suckers to maintain size and shape. You can prune a neglected shrub to the ground to rejuvenate it. It is a native plant and is not considered invasive, but suckering must be controlled. Insect pests include spider mites, aphids, and borers. Powdery mildew and leaf spot can infect elderberry. The shrub is winter-hardy, but high winds, ice, and heavy snow can damage stems. Sambucus provides a nectar source for bees and butterflies. As many as 48 species of birds consume the fruit, so if you want to harvest enough to make elderberry syrup and pie filling, you will need to place netting over the bushes. Unfortunately, deer eat the stems and leaves. Sambucus is an attractive plant in a wildlife or native garden or as loose, sprawling hedge or privacy screen. Use a single shrub as a striking specimen plant. The Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder entry “Sambucus canadensis”; University of Wisconsin publication “Uncommon Fruit: Observations from Carandale Farm—American Elderberry”; and the Plant Database entry of The Ladybird Johnson Wildlife Center “Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis” provide information about this lovely native shrub. I look forward to planting the elderberry shrubs and to someday making elderflower water in the spring and maybe even a bottle or two of elderberry wine. September 27, 2018