Item Tag: Autumn

American Elderberry Shrub, Sambucus canadensis, Seeds Northern Source These seeds are from a Northern range collection which are more cold hardy than Southern range collection. Showy Edible Fruit, Fast Growth, Hardy, Fragrant Flowering Shrub, Fall Colors, Hedge Plant, Attracts Birds, Wildlife Food, Cold and Drought Tolerant American Elderberry is a bushy, multi-stemmed, wide spreading shrub or small tree with deciduous compound leaves. It typically grows 10 to 15 feet tall, with a similar spread. The leaves of the American Elderberry are opposite, pinnately compound (featherlike) and up to a foot long. Large, terminal, flat-topped clusters of fragrant, tiny star shaped white flowers arranged in showy sprays up to 10 inches across appear in spring. The flowers are followed by clusters of shiny dark purple to black, berry-like fruits (drupes) in late summer to fall. Fruit may be used to make preserves, jellies, pies and wine. Fruit is also attractive to wildlife. In the fall, Elderberries put on a colorful display of yellows, oranges and reds. American Elderberry can be a very attractive shrub in bloom, but it tends to be gangly and unkempt, and it keeps sending up new suckers. It responds well to pruning and can be kept in a manageable size and shape with proper vigilance. With its wide clusters of shiny blue-black berries, Elderberry is very attractive in fruit, too, but the birds may eat the berries before you’re done appreciating them! American Elderberry, whether in bloom, in fruit, or even just decked out in their pretty lacy foliage, makes a very ornamental planting. American Elderberry can be coppiced (cut nearly to the ground) to force more bushiness to make a visual screen. The flowers of American Elderberry are used to make Elderflower water which is used in perfumes and confectioneries. Raw Elderberries have an unpleasant taste and contain small amounts of poisonous alkaloids. Cooking destroys the alkaloids and improves the taste. The dried berries are said to be good to eat raw. Cooked Elderberries are made into pies, jellies and of course, Elderberry wine. Harvest entire clusters of fruit, strip from the stems, simmer with a little water for 15 minutes, squeeze out the juice in a cheesecloth jelly bag, and prepare jelly or wine as you would with any other fruit juice. The flowers are also edible and used in jams, jellies and are the basis of Elderflower Fritters. Dip entire clusters of blossoms in flour and fry. A delightful, pale wine resembling champagne is also made from the flowers. Native Americans made much use of the American Elderberry. They used the bark, flowers and fruits for medicines; they made cakes, puddings and breads from the berries; and they made nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks from the berries. Elderberries have more vitamin C per unit weight than oranges or tomatoes. Young boys of not-too-long-ago knew that the pithy stems of American Elderberry are easily whittled hollow to make blow guns and whistles. The berries are relished by no fewer than 50 kinds of birds. Common Name: American Elder, American Elder Berry Zone: 3 to 9 Growth Rate: Fast Plant Type: Deciduous shrub Family: Caprifoliaceae Native Range: Eastern North America Height: 5 to 12 feet Spread: 5 to 12 feet Shape: Multi-stemmed, wide spreading Bloom Time: June – July Bloom Color: White Flower/Fruit: Clusters of fragrant, tiny star shaped white flowers, followed by purplish black, berry-like fruits. Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade Fall Color: yellow, orange and red Drought Tolerance: High Water: Medium to wet Maintenance: High; It can be pruned back hard to keep it in bounds. Site Requirements /Soil Tolerances: Prefers moist soils, but is drought tolerant. Does well in acidic or alkaline soils. Culture: Spreads by root suckers to form colonies. Prune out dead or weakened stems in early spring. Uses: Best when massed in naturalized areas where suckering spread is acceptable. Also effective in shrub borders, roadside plantings, wet or low areas, as a screen or as part of a native plant garden. Sowing Sambucus canadensis Seeds: The seeds of American Elderberry are very small. Elderberry seed need a warm spell then a cold spell in order to mature the embryo and reduce the seed coat. For best results, please follow the instructions in the order provided. Scarify: Pour Hot water over seed. Soak for 24 hours. Stratify: Warm 60 Days, then Cold 120 days, 40 Degrees F in a moist medium. Germination: Sow 1/16” deepFor more information about seed pretreatment and growing trees and shrubs from seed, please download this .pdf:https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2007/08/fcpg018.pdf Germination: Seeds Packets are labeled with seed name and sowing details. Seeds have not been pretreated unless specified in the listing. Seed is not a specific Cultivar (Variety) unless specified in the listing. Due to the many factors involved in successful germination, Seller cannot be responsible for buyers growing methods or mistakes. I have provided what I believe to be a good overview on this page (which you are free to print for further reference), however, it is still recommended to check specialist literature for more details and practices specific to your climate and soil conditions to avoid mistakes in the germination and growing process. 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