Red Elderberry

A beautiful, sprawling shrub with a tendency to sucker, produces lovely showy cones of tiny fragrant white flowers in May-June which then turn to flashy, bright red clusters of berries. Leaves are compound, deeply-lobed, and very pretty. Tolerates wet soil, rocky conditions, and clay. Attracts pollinators, butterflies and a number of bird species, which feast on the berries. Particularly useful to native bees and native wildlife. Historically, parts of this plant have been used as both medicine and food, but all parts of this plant are toxic when eaten raw, and there is little information available on the safety of various methods of preparation. Makes a fantastic border planting, especially when you can allow this species to sucker freely for its full, lovely visual effect, although suckers can be pruned to create a single-stemmed specimen tree. Tends to look its best when grown in full sun, but is one of relatively few species that will survive as an understory shrub in old-growth, closed-canopy forests. This species is circumboreal and is native in Northern Asia and Europe as well as North America. Generally not a dominant species in its habitat, but found in many places as (potentially rather large) individuals, and excellent for erosion control once established due to its large network of fine roots.

8-15 feet tall
Plant Hardiness Zones: Zone 3b-7a
Woody Shrub or Tree
Deer Resistant

Native Range: ME south to NC and the northern tip of GA, TN, MO, IA, SD, and NM west to CA, north to WA. Native to Canada in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, and NS. Rare in KY, IL and MO. Considered extirpated in RI.

Red Elderberry 6-12 inch in a quart pot $19.25

Red Elderberry 1-2 foot in a quart pot $20.25

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