Sambucus – Black Beauty^® – Elderberry – Sambucus nigra

Attracts: Birds

Resists: Deer

Fall Interest

Foliage Interest

Maintenance Notes

According to the Humane Society of America, elderberry can be toxic to pets if consumed.

Best in moist soil although will tolerate dry soils. Thrives under acid or alkaline soils. Best if pruned immediately after blooming. May be pruned to the ground each year and grown like a perennial. Fertilize in early spring by applying a granular fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs. Follow the label for the recommended rate of application.

The color on Black Beauty elderberry is best in cool climates; in hot areas, it may grow primarily green foliage.

Uses Notes

Grow either as a shrub or cut it back every year and make it into a bold perennial. Good in groupings and masses, perennial and shrub borders, as a specimen or screen, on roadsides or for naturalizing, good in boggy or wet gardens.

PLEASE NOTE: To produce berries, you'll need a Black Lace®, Instant Karma®, or Laced Up® as a pollinator. Both plants will get berries.

Maintenance Category Moderate

Water Category Average

Blooms On Old Wood

Bloom Time

Flower Form Border Plant, Container, Landscape, Specimen or Focal Point

pH B - pH 5.8 - 6.2

EC (2:1 Extraction Method) 0.6 - 0.9

Fertilization 150 - 200

Light Requirements Medium, High

Water Requirements Moderate to Moist

Rooting Out Temperature 65 - 72° Fahrenheit

Growing On Temperature 60 - 65° Fahrenheit

Holding Temperature 40 - 50° Fahrenheit

Planting and Timing Information
Spring to Fall, 1 ppp

Pinching and Growth Regulators
Frequent pruning is required to produce a full bodied plant. Grow like you would a Spiraea NOTE: a hard shearing once the summer heat arrives will shut down all new growth until cool nights arrive in early fall.

Pest and Disease Management
General disease and pest practices as lsited in notes. Aphids, Spider Mites, Cercospora can be problematic. Spray on a regular rotation with a fungicide to control .

Grower Tips
Black Beauty can be treated as a perennial and cut back or thinned out after it blooms. -Poly grown plants will have lighter colored foliage. Do not prune too hard. very hard pruning will promote horizontal growth. light tip pruning or shearing is best. -Indoor Finishing will produce lighter colored foliage. plants finished outdoors in cooler temperatures will have A dark purple/black foliage.