BLACK BEAUTY®
Elderberry
Sambucus nigra
'Gerda'
USPP 12,305
- Unique foliage
- Fragrant flowers
- Award winner
Black foliage. Black Beauty® elderberry gives the species a whole new look! Very large pink flowers in early summer contrast with the dark purple, almost black foliage. Grow it as a shrub, or cut it back each year and use it as a bold perennial.
Awards Bronze Medal, Royal Boskoop Horticulture Society; 2002 Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit
USDA Zone 5 - 7 (-20°F/-28.9°C)
Exposure Full sun, Part sun
Height 8 - 12'
Width 8 - 12'
Finish Time .5 season
Type Deciduous
Bloom Time Early summer
Flower Color Pink
Foliage Color Black
Liner Sizes 2 1/4", 4", Quick Turn
General Care
Soil Extremely adaptable to soil pH and moisture levels.
Pruning Blooms on old wood. However, pruning after bloom will remove the potential for fruit to set.
Uses Grow either as a shrub or cut it back every year and make it into a bold perennial. Outstanding as a specimen, but also good in groupings and masses, perennial and shrub borders, as a specimen or screen.
Growing Tips If fruit is desired, plant with Black Lace, Instant Karma, or Laced Up elderberry. Both flowers and ripe berries are edible; however, foliage and stems are toxic.
Features: Edible, Deer resistant, Foliage interest, Drought tolerant, Alkaline soil, Award winner, Clay soil
Filters: Botanical genus: Sambucus, Common name: Elderberry, Retail program: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®, USDA Zone 5, USDA Zone 6, USDA Zone 7, Exposure: Full sun, Exposure: Part sun, Bloom time: Summer, Pink flowers, Black foliage
Features: Edible, Deer resistant, Foliage interest, Drought tolerant, Alkaline soil, Award winner, Clay soil
Filters: Botanical genus: Sambucus, Common name: Elderberry, Retail program: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®, USDA Zone 5, USDA Zone 6, USDA Zone 7, Exposure: Full sun, Exposure: Part sun, Bloom time: Summer, Pink flowers, Black foliage