Professional Growing Information 
Purchased 3 seasons ago planted in full sun zone 10a in California. Growing great and maintains its black color - Beautiful!!
Black Lace® Elderberry Sambucus nigra
Exposure
- Part Sun to Sun
- Sun
Flower Season
- Fall
Mature Size
Height: 6' - 8'
Spread: 6' - 8'
Height: 1.8m - 2.4m
Spread: 1.8m - 2.4m
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Details
72 - 96 Inches84 - 108 Inches72 - 96 Inches1.8m - 2.4m2.1m - 2.7m1.8m - 2.4mFeatures
Black Lace® elderberry is a perfectly stylish addition to your landscape.
Intense purple black foliage is finely cut like lace, giving it an effect similar to that of Japanese maple. Indeed, some designers are using it in place of more sensitive plants since Black Lace is extremely durable and adaptable. Pink flowers in early summer contrast with the dark leaves for a stunning effect and give way to black berries if a compatible pollinator is planted nearby. Awards: Silver Medal, Royal Boskoop Horticulture Society.
Top reasons to grow Black Lace® elderberry:
- unique lacy black foliage is unlike anything else in the landscape
- pink flowers in early summer look chic against the black foliage
- tough and adaptable plant grows in a range of challenging conditions
Best SellerProduces BerriesFoliage InterestFall InterestAttracts:BirdsResists:DeerCharacteristics
Plant Type:ShrubShrub Type:DeciduousHeight Category:TallGarden Height:72 - 96 Inches 1.8m - 2.4mSpacing:84 - 108 Inches 2.1m - 2.7mSpread:72 - 96 Inches 1.8m - 2.4mFlower Colors:PinkFlower Shade:PinkFoliage Colors:PurpleFoliage Shade:Black/PurpleHabit:UprightContainer Role:ThrillerPlant Needs
Light Requirement:Part Sun to SunLight Requirement:SunThe optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).
Maintenance Category:ModerateBlooms On:Old WoodBloom Time:Early SummerHardiness Zones:4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7bWater Category:AverageUses:Border PlantUses:ContainerUses:LandscapeUses:Specimen or Focal PointUses Notes:This beautiful, versatile shrub works in just about any landscape setting or as a potted shrub on the patio. Good in groupings or masses, or perennial and shrub borders. Makes a nice specimen or screen. Good in wet soils.
PLEASE NOTE: To produce berries, you'll need a Black Beauty®, Instant Karma®, or Laced Up® elderberry as a pollinator
Maintenance Notes:According to the Humane Society of America, elderberry can be toxic to pets if consumed.
Best in moist soil although will tolerate dry soils. Thrives under acid or alkaline soils. Best if pruned immediately after blooming. May be pruned to the ground each year and grown like a perennial. Fertilize in early spring by applying a granular fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs. Follow the label for the recommended rate of application.
The color on Black Lace elderberry is best in cool climates; in hot areas, it may grow primarily green foliage.
Black Lace® Sambucus nigra 'Eva' USPP 15,575, Can 2,633 -
94 Reviews
5484233521315Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.-
M. Sheehan, California, United States, 1 year ago
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My bush is several years old. just found paper on it. It says the berries are edible. please confirm. I have almost 2 cups of berries. Does anyone have instructions to make jam etc and how to remove simply the little stems
marlene gibson, Ontario, Canada, 2 years ago -
My bush is several years old. just found paper on it. It says the berries are edible. please confirm. I have almost 2 cups of berries. Does anyone have instructions to make jam etc and how to remove simply the little stems
marlene gibson, Ontario, Canada, 2 years ago -
I bought 2 of this proven winner Black Laced Elderberry and 1 Laced Up Elderberry to increase pollination and increase berries. They have been planted in morning sun 6 to 7 hours full sun. So far I've had to remove some lower wilting stems, but am praying they all survive. I'm kinda upset most reviews are 11 to 12 years ago. So here is 2022!
Michele, Nevada, United States, 2 years ago -
I love this bush,it’s so striking.I did have a problem with a fungus last year and thought I was going to lose it
Debbie, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2 years ago -
The label reads "Medium Deer Resistant".... Must not be Maine Deer resistant. Two plants were located in a suburban area less than 100 yards from a high-traffic road and both have been whittled down to a size small after one winter season.
stephen assante, Maine, United States, 2 years ago -
My favorite and most unique perennial shrub in my garden. I was first introduced to this plant at world-renown Longwood Gardens where they have many scattered amongst their beds. I bought my at a local nursery maybe 5 years ago and its grown fabulously (Zone 7a) ever since. Just as at Longwood, I've placed my in full shade and it grows dark foliage. Not sure why its recommended for full sun. A volunteer popped up and I've moved that to another bed, under a Pin Oak, so its getting dappled sunlight (may 3 hrs/day), and growing fast. I trim my in April and again in July/August to keep it at 4' hgt and width. I lose flowers when I trim middle summer, but I'm not concerned for that. I grow them for the black foliage that stands out so well against the hostas and other shade-loving green perennials in the beds.
C. Scholl, Pennsylvania, United States, 2 years ago -
I bought this after buying a Black Lace first. I loved the black and wanted copious berries. Its year 2 now and both are green! I’d like to know what constitutes a “cooler” vs hot climate. I am in Zone 5. Its hot in the summer and that’s when plants grow so I am uncertain how to interpret the caution provided above that the black color is recommended for cool climates and it can green up in hot ones.
Elizabeth Renee, South Dakota, United States, 3 years ago -
I bought this at a local nursery in the summer of 2020 and it just sat with no new growth, some wilting and dieback of branches. I maintained it as best I could and had a chat with it this spring: thrive or you’re gone! Well, this year it is doing just that with decent growth, blooms and no dieback. The only disappointment is that the leaves are green rather than black. It gets primarily afternoon sun. Beautiful form.
Susan, Utah, United States, 3 years ago -
5 years ago I purchased 1 plant. Over the winter it died. The place I had purchased it had a warranty that they would replace after first winter if it died. I tried again and again it died. This plant is beautiful so I bought another and then a month later another store in the chain was offering the plant for $5 less than the last store. Just had too buy it as well. This year they are just blooming wildly. I have a sea of these pink white rosie and purple across my backyard. Everyday I see many new flower sites. I have berries galore and The tiny fruit flies are just starting to show up. Thank god I have plenty of berries all ready and I hope many of these flowers transform to fruit before the flies get to them. I live in zone 7.
Robert Pelletier, Ontario, Canada, 3 years ago
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