Home gardeners grow elderberry bushes for their ornamental and culinary value. In spring, the bushes burst into feathery white flowers that perfume the air. Later in the season, the elderberries yield a heavy harvest of plump, black berries that are too tart to be eaten off the bush. Cooks and amateur brewers, however, turn the flowers and the berries into everything from jellies and pies to wines and liqueurs. Elderberries are not self-fruitful, according to Cornell University, so you should plant two varieties within 60 feet of each other for cross-pollination.
Adams #1 and Adams #2
Introduced in 1926 by the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station, Adams #1 and Adams #2 are the two oldest elderberry cultivars. Cornell University's Department of Horticulture notes that they are strong, productive and hardy to Zone 4. Adams varieties grow 8 to 10 feet tall, flower in early June and bear ripe berries in late August to early September. Both Adams elderberry varieties are widely available through nurseries and retailers.
Johns
The Johns variety of elderberry grows throughout the northeastern part of North America. E.L. Eaton, senior horticulturist at the Kentville Research Station in Nova Scotia, named the variety in 1954. Johns elderberry ripens about 10 days earlier than the Adams varieties, and has larger clusters and berries. Some nurseries sell Adams and Johns varieties as pairs because they cross-pollinate.
York
The York elderberry variety is a hybrid of Adams #2 developed and named at the Geneva Experiment Station in 1964. Oklahoma State University highly recommends growing this cultivar in the state. Like the Adams varieties, York is cold-hardy, but is more productive and produces larger berries later in the season than other cultivars.
Black Lace
Elderberry Black Lace is a relatively recent addition to the elderberry family, bred by Ken Tobutt and Jacqui Prevette of East Malling Research Station. Most retailers and nurseries sell the Black Lace elderberry as an ornamental shrub because of its finely-cut, purple-black foliage and pink flowers. The April 2010 newsletter for Oklahoma Gardening, a radio show associated with Oklahoma State University, notes that the variety does set edible fruit. It is hardy to Zone 4, and grows to about 6 feet tall.
Blue Elderberry
Blue elderberry, also known as American elder, wild elder, Sambucus mexicana and Sambucus caerulea, grows throughout the Western and Southwestern United States. It grows 6 to 24 feet tall in the wild, and flowers May through September. The blue berries are an important food source for animals and birds. Early immigrants to California also used the berries to make jams and wine.
Red Elderberry
Red elderberry, also known as Sambucus racemosa, grows throughout North America. Its showy flowers, lacy leaves and colorful berries make it "a wonderful addition" to a native garden, according to Washington State University's PNW Plants website. The raw berries are not edible and may be toxic to some people. They are edible if they've been cooked or fermented, however.
References
- Cornell University: Elderberries
- Pennsylvania State University: Fruit Production for the Home Gardener--Elderberries
- "New York's Food and Life Sciences Bulletin"; Elderberry Culture in New York State; 1981
- Project BudBurst: Blue Elderberry
- Washington State University Extension Service: Red Elderberry
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