Thundercloud blue elderberry
Sambucus nigra 'Thundercloud'
RHS AGM 2012
USDA zones5 to 8
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Multi-stemmed
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
'Thundercloud' blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra 'Thundercloud') is a shrub for hedges, rain gardens, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows fast and has many stems, so it fills a hedge line quickly. Fragrant flowers open from early to late summer and draw butterflies and birds.
Pairs well with Serviceberry, Black chokeberry, and Karl Foerster feather reed grass.