Sambucus nigra

Sambucus nigra

	Sambucus nigra is a lovely native shrub, at its best a small tree. There were a couple growing on the site here when I moved in and there are still a couple, tucked into odd corners. It can be a bit weedy so I remove them from time to time. The birds seem to replace them freely (little shits). Writing in 'The Garden' in 2000, Roy Lancaster summer up the situation: "One way or another, Sambucus (elders) have been grabbing the horticultural headlines of late. They have graduated, or rather pole-vaulted, from the ranks of mundane wasteland and hedgerow shrubs to the heights of garden fashion. Before I go any further, I shall declare a lifelong admiration for these shrubs which does beyond a fondness for elderflower pancakes (one of my few culinary triumphs as a bachelor) - beyond even elderflower champagne and elderberry wine, which I also enjoy. I even admire the common, green-leaved, native elder S. nigra as an ornamental plant wherever it grows although most gardeners and garden designers regard it as too coarse and free-seedling for garden purposes. As a hedgerow shrub it is often hacked about and mis-shapen while elders on field margins ore favoured summer gathering-posts for livestock. (I wonder if this could be because of the well-known fly deterrence of the strong smeling foliage?) Just occasionally, however, you see a freestanding elder of tree-like proportions smothered with flowers and then it is a thing of beauty. Noble or not, I cannot see a time when the common green elder will be welcomed into our gardens except by those interested in its attractions to wildlife, which are considerable."
28th June 2014

Trees and Shrubs online says:

"Native of Europe, N. Africa and S.W. Asia. One of the best known of native shrubs, and to be regarded more often as a weed in gardens than anything else. Still, the elder, when made to assume the tree form by restricting it to one stem for 6 or 8 ft up, is not without a certain quaintness and charm. Its trunk is rough and crooked, and carries a large rounded head of richly leafy branches, laden with flower in June and with fruit in September. The seeds are spread by birds, and young elder plants spring up everywhere in woods, tall shrubberies, etc. In the neighbourhood of more important plants they must be rigorously pulled up. The type itself may be left to furnish out-of-the-way damp, dark corners, where little else will live.
No plant holds (or perhaps it is safer to say, used to hold) a more honoured place in domestic pharmacy than the elder. From its berries is prepared, by boiling with sugar, a wine or syrup which, diluted with hot water, is a favourite beverage in rural districts. It is usually taken just before bedtime and is considered a useful remedy for colds, chills, etc."

I love it without equivocation, and still pull the seedlings up rigorously!

Martin Crawford writes:

"Common elder, Sambucus nigra, is one of the most useful of all British native trees. Though now often disparaged as little more than a weed, it was planted in hedgerows for centuries, and frequently occurs close to human habitation. The mythology and folklore surrounding it go back to ancient times and it has long been used for food and medication. More recently, the resurgent popularity of elderflower cordials and herbal teas has resulted in a thriving industry in England. I have been growing flowering and fruiting selections of elder in Devon for the last 10 years and am impressed by their productivity and ease of culture.
Elders tolerate a range of soils, including chalk, although good flower and fruit production is dependent on rich moist soil and sun or part shade. Although elders tolerate exposure, wind damage to flowers usually reduces fruit yield.
Raw elderberry fruits are not as palatable and can cause stomach upsets, so should only be eaten in small quantities."


13th June 2023	13th June 2023

References:

Trees and Shrubs online, https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/sambucus/sambucus-nigra/ , accessed 05.01.2025.

Lancaster, Roy - 'Respect Your Elders', The Garden, JRHS, Vol.125, Part.9 (2000)

Crawford, Martin - 'Elders and Betters', The Garden, JRHS, Vol.129, Part.4 (2004)