blue elderberry
Sambucus cerulea
Water:
Light:
Habit:
Height:
Bloom color:
Bloom time:
medium - high
full sun - part shade
upright
to 20'
white
late summer
Photo credit:
E. Conrad
Blue elderberry is a must for anyone into home food preservation. Heavy bunches of pale blue berries produce sweet deep purple juice when crushed, perfect for wines and jams. If you don't use the berries, birds will be happy to help out. A 'pet' elderberry is truly a specimen plant, with giant pinnate leaves and thick rapidly-growing cane-like stems. Established elderberry can tolerate substantial drought, but give it moderate irrigation for a few seasons to let it achieve fruit-bearing size. Plant with thimbleberry and chokecherry for an edible thicket.