Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Huge white June flower clusters humming with pollinators, then purple-black berries taken by over forty bird species. Fast, unfussy screen.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Nothing brings more birds to a yard faster than elderberry in fruit. and the June flowers are a pollinator event.
Elderberry is a full ecosystem in a single shrub. The giant flat white flower clusters in June attract so many pollinators that on a warm afternoon the noise is audible from twenty feet away. The deep purple-black berries ripen in August and September, edible for humans when cooked, and taken immediately by over forty bird species including woodpeckers, bluebirds, and catbirds, which arrive in groups and strip clusters in hours. This is the plant that turns a yard into something alive. It's also completely unfussy about conditions. Wet soil, clay, average soil, stream banks, woodland edges. Elderberry fills in fast and doesn't complain. It grows to eight to twelve feet quickly, making it an excellent fast screen or naturalized thicket plant. The compound foliage is fine and attractive. Cut it hard to the ground every few years to keep it productive and dense.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown elderberry propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6–12 ft · 6–12 ft wide
- Bloom time
- June
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Adoxaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to the Rocky Mountains
Care notes for elderberry.
Tolerates a wide range of soils including wet, clay, and average garden conditions. Full sun to part shade; full sun for best fruit production. Plant two or more together for cross-pollination and more abundant berries. Cut canes to the ground every three years in late winter to promote vigorous new flowering growth. Fast-growing and forgiving.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside elderberry.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.