blue elderberry
Sambucus nigra
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones5 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size10 to 20 feet tall8 to 20 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a shrub for borders, food gardens, hedges, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet soil of most types. Its dark purple berries are grown for jelly and wine, and birds relish them. Deer tend to pass it by. Prune it heavily in winter to keep a thick form.
Pairs well with Black chokeberry, Switchgrass, Blue wild indigo, and River birch.
Native range
AL, AR, AZ, CA, and 45 more places. See all 49
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY; MB, NB, NS, PE, and QC.