American Black Elderberry is a native North American shrub that transforms from delicate, fragrant white flowers in early summer to abundant clusters of jet-black berries by late season. Growing 5 to 12 feet tall and wide, this deciduous plant thrives in hardiness zones 3 through 9, making it one of the hardiest elderberries for cold climates. It's equally at home in full sun or partial shade and handles wet soils and clay with ease, earning it a place in rain gardens and naturalized landscapes where it also feeds birds and butterflies while requiring only moderate watering once established.
Partial Sun
Moderate
3-9
144in H x 144in W
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High
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The flat-topped flower clusters, each spreading to 10 inches across, release a distinctive lemon scent when they bloom in June and July. Come late summer, those same stems bear heavy yields of dark berries that attract flocks of birds and offer genuine culinary potential. This shrub spreads by root suckers to form colonies over time, and it tolerates the soggy, challenging soils where many ornamentals struggle, thriving in streambank conditions and wet woodlands where it evolved.
The black berries are edible and can be harvested in late summer for jams, syrups, wines, and medicinal tonics. The fragrant, showy flowers attract pollinators and are visually striking in the landscape during early summer bloom. Beyond culinary uses, the plant serves ecological roles in rain gardens and naturalized areas, stabilizing soil through its root system while providing forage for birds and butterflies.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Harvest black elderberry fruits in late summer when they have fully darkened to black and feel slightly soft to the touch. Pick entire clusters or strip individual berries from the cymes by hand. The berries are ready when they come away easily from the stem, indicating full ripeness and peak flavor for culinary uses.
Prune in late winter or early spring to shape the shrub and remove dead or weakened wood. You can selectively shorten one-year-old stems to encourage bushier growth, or cut the entire plant back to the ground to rejuvenate it after several years. Many horticulturists recommend hard spring pruning to maintain the best foliage quality. Remove root suckers as they emerge unless you are naturalizing the plant and want it to spread into a colony.
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“Sambucus canadensis is native to eastern North America, where it has grown wild in moist woodlands, thickets, streambanks, and roadsides for centuries. The plant's common name reflects its deep roots in the continent's indigenous ecology and early colonial gardens, where settlers recognized its value for food and medicine. Unlike many cultivars developed through breeding programs, American Black Elderberry represents the species in its native form, preserved and shared through nurseries and botanical institutions as both a functional landscape plant and a connection to the region's natural heritage.”