Elderberry Bush
Sambucus nigra
Fruit Plants & Bushes Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
Fast-growing deciduous shrub producing clusters of dark purple berries used for jams, syrups, and wine. Elderflowers are also used for teas and cordials.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun to partial shade (4-8 hrs)
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Water
Every 1-2 weeks
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Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
minus 30 to 32°C
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Soil
Moist, well-draining soil; tolerates a wide pH range (5.5-6.5)
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Fertilizer
Compost or balanced 10-10-10 in early spring
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Europe and North America
- 📏 Max height
- 3-6 meters (10-20 feet)
- 📐 Spread
- 150-300 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring - Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Cream
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Dark Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Raw berries, leaves, stems, and roots contain cyanogenic glycosides — must be cooked before consumption. Toxic to pets.
- 🌱 Propagation
- Softwood cuttings in summer; hardwood cuttings in dormancy; division
🛡️ Health & Safety
⚠️ Not pet safe
☠️ Toxic
Raw berries, leaves, stems, and roots contain cyanogenic glycosides — must be cooked before consumption. Toxic to pets.
Common issues
- Powdery mildew on foliage, Cane borer damage, Bacterial canker, Aphid infestations
💡 Care tips
- Berries must be cooked before eating as raw berries are toxic,Used to make syrup wine and immune-boosting remedies,Extremely cold-hardy surviving winters to minus 30°C,Plant two varieties for the best fruit production
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 11 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
