ELDERBERRY

One of my favorite garden plants is elder or elderberry -- not to be confused with boxelder (Acer negundo) or groundelder/goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) both of which smart gardeners will avoid, with eradication of the latter difficult to accomplish. The elder I like and am referring to is the genus Sambucus. Formerly considered a close relative of honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae) elders have been reclassified as a type of moschatel (Adoxaceae). The genus name Sambucus is derived from ancient Greek and refers to the large pith zone which has been and can be removed for various purposes (e.g., to make a wind instrument). While there are about 30 Sambucus species, I will limit my discussion to the three most common ornamental species (S. canadensis, S. nigra and S. racemosa). And while I specified ornamental, elder is also an excellent wildlife plant via the abundant juicy and staining berries, produced after the flowers have done their job (see top pic above). I recall being intrigued by a farm antique sale flyer several decades ago in northern Indiana that included a fiddle made using elderberries to dye the wood. BTW, the branches are weighed down (thus nodding) by the fruit which mature, depending on species, from green to bluish black or red in late summer -- all staining reddish purple and drying to a more muted bluish purple.

Yet, while I find Sambucus interesting and remarkable, it is underutilized. Let me introduce you, they are not fussy about soil, tolerate drought as well as periodic inundation, are largely disease-free, have weak/brittle woody stems with prominent raised lenticels, as well as the aforementioned large pith, and are variably sized (6-12 ft tall) depending largely on the primeness of the site. Elders have oppositely arranged deeply divided leaves and are generally considered a shrub, although their gently arching leader with sparse branching defies the conventional binary concept (shrub OR tree). Technically the specimens are suffruticose (i.e., woody below with this year's branches herbaceous). No matter the form category, they produce fragrant flowers in terminal clusters in late spring. The flowers of the common midwestern native S. canadensis are white to creamy, produced in + flat-topped clusters (corymbs, see top pic above) but during anthesis progressively become less flattened. In mass the flowers are capable of sweetly scenting an entire neighborhood, especially in the still air of early evening -- at my place in central Indiana, the last week in May into early June is when the performance occurs. I refer to this degree of fragrant as pervasive (i.e., on a scale of 0-10, definitely 10). In case you were wondering, the group name (moschatel) refers to a musky smell of the flowers of the type genus (Adoxa).

Sambucus racemosa (red elderberry), also a Midwest native, is most commonly encountered in gardens as the trademarked Lemony Lace. This enticing beauty is appropriately named, with wonderfully colored and finely dissected leaves -- reminiscent of a delicate oriental maple (see third pic above). Unlike the other two, which have white pith, the pith of red elderberry is tan to brown. The best ornamental expression of black or European elderberry (S. nigra) is Black Lace which (like Lemony Lace) is a Proven Winners offering (see 4th pic above). But this standout, with its partially pink flowers and special dark leaves, has a major issue -- a few to many of the stems frequently dieback. Regular pruning is necessary to prevent a specimen from becoming unsightly. This dieback, which occurs during the growing season, is the result of a borer (a beetle), but my autopsying has yet to reveal the culprit, although I do see the telltale wilted foliage (this year's growth) and damaged pith since my treatment of the underlying soil with an insecticide seems to be ineffective. A further difference between the two species is the intact fruit color (indicated by the common names) as well as the shape of the inflorescence. Black elderberry inflorescences are more flat-topped rather than peaked. I seldom get flowering on my Lemony Lace, which is okay because it is the foliar beauty I am after. -- Both black and red elderberry are fragrant but cannot match American.

While I maintain both Lemony Lace and Black Lace, most of my elderberries are S. canadensis. Why? Naturally occurring (native and ubiquitous -- no need to purchase), easy to grow, tolerates shade, is special enough as a normal (unimproved) organism and of course the fragrance. But I have learned that it is best to provide plenty of space since, unlike the other two species, American elderberry is a successful patch former from suckering roots that (after the herbaceous stage of year one) produce easily fractured stems that are normally about one inch diameter. I have had them approach three inches at my place and occasionally they can reach to >12 ft tall. I have yet to see either black or red elder get anywhere near that diameter or tall in the Midwest. Moreover, and typically, part or all of an individual stem (tempted to refer to them as woody leaders) will die back within a few years, their spot being replaced by new growth from within the patch. The American elderberry may get the borer but what I see is winter dieback I annually remove up to 1/3 the overwintered stems, including some older/larger stems but mostly terminal branches, waiting until new leaves start to emerge in spring to learn what is alive and what is dead (i.e., did not make it through winter) thus what I will prune away. The careful removal of the dead portion makes for a more appealing presentation. [You may want to checkout the LOST LEADER chapter under Book ADDENDA.] Additionally, I think it best if the area allowed for the wisdom of elders is at least 100 square feet (see collective nouns). If the patch goes beyond, and you don't want it to, simply prune away -- you can easily shape the patch by editing. American elderberry will spread but not like the attractive but marauding thugs black locust, sumac and trumpet vine which are also Midwest natives -- about half our weedy taxa are. Reality.

The understory in a wisdom of elderberry is unique and interesting. One of the common associates in this assemblage is a curious but annoying vine (see bottom pic above) with a slender stem that changes from green to shiny burgundy yellow as it ages.  This dioecious encircling counterclockwise climber (moonseed, Menispermum) has a similar chemical profile to Strychnos, a tropical liana and the source of strychnine and curare. The common name (moonseed) is based on the crescent shape of the seed and the genus prefix is derived from the Greek word mene, meaning moon or crescent as well as lunar month (e.g., menopause).

In closing, the Kemper Center Plant Finder option on the Missouri Botanical Garden website is an excellent and reliable gardening resource, I would argue best for the Midwest, but I disagree with their assessment of S. nigra -- "has been found to be weedy and potentially invasive and should not be planted in Midwestern gardens." That may be true around St. Louis (250 miles WSW of Indianapolis) but is not the case in central Indiana and adjacent areas, at least not from my experience. Moreover, I find no seedlings or suckering from my plant and the few wild (naturalized) occurrences I have witnessed in the region were in disturbed (ruderal) sites. Of course that could change, since we are amid a profound climate shift which will continue to affect what plants can grow here, or not, in the garden or wild, and how well. -- Got a callback from a Mo Bot rep who informed me that the warning is merely precautionary, nothing like the deserved BEWARE associated with burning bush, oriental bittersweet and wintercreeper (Celastraceae), trumpet vine and others.

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POSTLOGUE (II parts):

I. Gardening style/philosophy. A more natural feel is what I try to achieve. Having someone say my garden does not look manmade, even though it is (all are) is a supreme compliment. To achieve that feel and look (i.e., NATURALISTIC) I work with Mother Nature (the true master gardener), letting her have some say as to what is included (i.e., allowed to stay for display) and avoiding rows which are rare in natural settings. To achieve this look I leave sedges and rushes that appear, especially around the base of trees, while extracting most of the grasses there and elsewhere, other than in the lawn, and removing as many and as much of the marauders as possible (both native and exotic, especially the woody taxa). American elderberry is well-suited for this approach, this style of gardening, S. nigra and S. racemosa are not. Alas, I find most people do NOT like or appreciate the complex look of naturalistic gardening. The style most people prefer consists of a few inappropriate trees (species and/or placement), a row or two of butchered (geometric) shrubs, a drug dependent rug (monoculture lawn) and the requisite bed of tulips and other springtime associates. That "plants as furniture" look is ecologically sterile, environmentally unsustainable and boringly common. There is a better way! Still not convinced to accept my philosophy? Consider this -- aesthetic aside, the naturalistic style requires less maintenance and is less expensive.  Mind you, to go naturalistic a gardener must have decent knowledge of all the species residing at your place, including those you did not plant -- and by knowing I mean more than plant names. Furthermore, it helps to have an appropriate property. The style is not as well-suited for HOA communities -- substrate (soil was removed prior to construction), regulations, and complaining neighbors who prefer the heavily manicured "subjugation of nature" neat look described above.

II. In case you are wondering why I did not remark on edibility, since such info abounds for elderberry. THE ANSWER -- I have first-hand experience of how bad that can turnout. Example #1 -- Crankshaw's publication Manual of the Seed Plants of Indiana which listed several poisonous species as edible and was otherwise flawed. After release it received what has been called one of the most scathing book reviews ever (see The Michigan Botanist {1990} 29:35-36). While the author had a PhD in forestry from Purdue it became clear that he was NOT qualified which (a) resulted in the book being panned, pulled from distribution and the inventory destroyed, (b) soured his career and haunted him the rest of his life, (c) is a permanent stain on the Ball State Univ biology program and (d) exposed the deficient management, editing and production practices within the Indiana Academy of Science at the time. To describe how the Academy allowed the bad book to happen, I will use a term (palocracy) coined by George Will. Will is a brilliant columnist for The Washington Post and who hails from Champaign (IL) where I previously schooled and worked as a botanist. He defined palocracy as governance by good old boys, where mediocrity is accepted -- cronyism more important than objectivity. Lower standards certainly are easier to achieve. [FYI: I was the one (the newcomer and outsider) asked to assess the matter and to suggest the best course of action.] Example #2 -- A young man in my neighborhood who, after learning to forage online, last summer made and consumed a large smoothie using what he thought was wild parsley or chervil. The forb he had wild harvested was instead poison hemlock, which caused him to go crazy and, in front of his mother, he shot himself in the head and died.

That's why NO, even though I have extensive ethnobotany background. Posting, printing, and otherwise publicly providing such human consumption and/or application "info" is fraught with risks -- we are not uniform -- and there could be serious potential problems for the source. One of the consequences of providing "info" that ends up being harmful is that someone might seek remedy, and that someone could be a badass lawyer, or worse. Yes, there is worse.

Enjoy June and summer, once it starts.