'American Elder' or 'Elderberry'
This 6-12 foot tall shrub with multiple stems has attractive compound leaves and many umbels of white flowers in June/July. After flowering, the cymes of flowers are followed by black-red berries in late summer and fall. Grow in open shade or along a woods edge, fast growing plants. This native north American shrub should have a place in the shade garden and wild flower garden. Prefers rich rocky soils with ample moisture; will tolerate wet soils. Berries food for rabbits, squirrels, foxes, woodchucks, chipmunks, ground squirrels, wood rats, and mice and many species of birds. Sambucus canadensis plants are valuable bird nesting areas and provide perching locations, the fruit provides food for many species of birds including bluebirds, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, veeries, warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, scarlet tanager, American crow, grouse, and hummingbirds who visit flowers for nectar. Plants flower the third year after sowing. Best for a large natural area or along a tree line. Plants trend to sucker from the soil around the base of the plant, thus making a dense thicket.
Zones 3-9 but in zones 7-9 plants grow best in cool moist areas.
200 seeds.
|
