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