Gerda blue elderberry
Sambucus nigra 'Gerda'
RHS AGM 2002
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size8 to 15 feet tall4 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Multi-stemmed
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Bloom color
- Pink
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Gerda' blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra 'Gerda') is a shrub for hedges, food gardens, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows fast and has many stems, so it fills a hedge line quickly. Fragrant pink flowers open from early to late summer and draw butterflies and birds.
Pairs well with Swamp milkweed, Chokeberry, Cinnamon fern, and Indian grass.