Description of the elderberry plant, tips for growing in the open field, methods of reproduction, possible difficulties in growing, a florist note, types. Elderberry (Sambucus) is a member of the genus of flowering representatives of the flora, attributed to the Adoxaceae family. This genus was included a little earlier in the Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), but occasionally scientists isolated these plants into a separate family called Buzinov. (Sambucaceae). The list of this genus today has up to 40 different species. At the same time, some of them have long been popularly used by the people as medicinal, for example, varieties such as red and black elderberry. They are also actively used by beekeepers to extract pollen and nectar. These same plants are excellent helpers in the fight against mice. At the same time, there are species that can be used as ornamental garden plantings.
The native habitat of plants from the elderberry genus is very extensive, it includes zones of the Northern Hemisphere, which are dominated by a temperate and subtropical climate, and they are also not uncommon in the wild on the Australian continent.
| Family name | Adox |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth features | Perennial grasses, shrubs, short trees |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (cuttings, dividing the bush or layering) |
| Landing period in open ground | Rooted cuttings, planted in autumn |
| Disembarkation scheme | Hole diameter 0.5 m, with a depth of 0.8 m |
| Substrate | Wet loamy or soddy-podzolic |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting on the east or north side |
| Moisture indicators | Watering is moderate, the soil should not dry out, drainage is recommended |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 1.5-10 m |
| Color of flowers | Creamy, white-yellow or off-yellow |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Shield-shaped flat, paniculate, umbellate |
| Flowering time | May June |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Place of application | Solitaire, loose plantings, camouflage of outbuildings and compost heaps |
| USDA zone | 4–9 |
The name of the genus, according to one version, comes from the Greek word "sambucus", which translates as "red paint", apparently, the ancients associated this with the fact that the fruits of the species Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) were used for dyeing fabric. But according to other sources, the origin was the name of a musical instrument, which in Iran was also called "sambucus", since the wood of this plant was used for its manufacture. There are even references to such representatives of the flora in the works of the ancient erudite writer Pliny (from 22–25 AD to 79 AD).
Basically, all types of elderberry plants take on a shrub form or grow in the form of a small tree. Although there is a variety that grows in the form of a perennial herb - Herb elderberry (Sambucus ebulus). In the middle lane, 13 species are used for cultivation. Most often, the height of such plants varies within 1.5–10 m. They are found in the undergrowth of coniferous and deciduous forests, often forming large thickets, as well as on forest edges, wet banks of river arteries and the sides of country roads. Loves moisture, but very hardy.
The bark is deeply grooved. Elderberry shoots are distinguished by branching, with a thin woody coating, while the core remains soft, whitish in color. While the branches are young, they are colored green, which eventually changes to brownish-gray, there are many small scale-like markings.
The leaf plates that unfold on the branches are large. The length of the leaves can vary in the range of 10-30 cm. Their outlines are odd-pinnate, consisting of several leaf lobes on short petioles. These leaflets are oblong, elongated in shape, with a pointed tip at the top. The leaf lobes are located opposite. The foliage has an unpleasant, repelling odor.
When flowering, which begins in May or early summer, small flowers open, which form flat inflorescences of a corymb, paniculate or umbellate shape. In the inflorescence, there are a large number of buds, and its diameter is 25 cm. The color of the petals in flowers of a cream, whitish or dirty yellowish color scheme. The diameter of the flower at full opening reaches 5–8 mm. The flowers have five stamens (in the red elderberry), but there are species that have only three stamens. Flowers with a fragrant aroma.
After the inflorescences are pollinated, then at the end of summer or September, fruits begin to form. They are a drupe, which has the shape of a berry. They are painted almost black, the flesh under the skin is dark red and at the same time 1–2 pairs of seeds are sunk in it. The diameter of the berries reaches a maximum of 7 mm.
If we talk not only about the use of elderberry as a medicinal plant, then when developing landscape design, these bushes or low-growing trees are recommended to be used for planting as a tapeworm plant, as well as for the formation of loose plantings, and they can easily strengthen the slopes from shedding. And since Sambucus has luxurious foliage and inflorescences, you can use them to mask buildings in the country or in the garden, intended for household purposes, or cover the compost heap. However, all beauty (flowering and ripening of fruits) will begin only after reaching the age of three.
Elderberry: Growing Tips, Planting and Outdoor Care
- Drop off location. It is better to plant seedlings in an open and sunlit place, with an eastern or northern location. Especially if a variety with variegated foliage. Since the leaves and branches have an unpleasant odor, the bushes are planted near compost heaps or cesspools to scare off flies.
- Priming for an elderberry plant, it is better to select a wet one, loam or sod-podzolic substrate is suitable. The acidity should be slightly acidic or neutral pH 6, 0-6, 5. If the soil is more acidic, then it will have to be liming by adding dolomite flour. Moreover, such an admixture is performed a couple of years before planting the bushes.
- Landing held in spring or autumn. The hole is prepared a month before disembarkation. Its parameters are 50 cm in diameter and 80 cm in depth. When growing in the form of a tree, install a support in the hole so that it rises 0.5 m above the soil surface. When digging a hole, the upper and lower layers of soil are separated on different sides. The top layer, taken out of the pit, is mixed with 7–8 kg of humus and 50 grams of phosphates, 30 grams of potash fertilizers are added. 2/3 of the hole is filled with this soil mixture. On the day of planting, this part is loosened in the pit, and an elderberry seedling is placed inside. Then the roots of the plant are sprinkled with the bottom layer of the soil removed during the digging of the pit, and then the remnants of the prepared substrate are added. The root collar should be 2-3 cm above the soil level. Then the soil is tamped, the seedling is watered with 10-15 liters of water.
- Watering the elderberry not needed if the summer is rainy, and the trunk circle is mulched. Rotted manure or compost acts as mulch. In dry weather, humidification is carried out every 7 days, 10-15 liters of water under the bush. If the plant is young, then you need to water it more often. The soil should not dry out. After watering or rain, the soil in the near-trunk circle is loosened and weeds are removed.
- Top dressing. In the fertile soil, the elderberry usually has enough nutrients, but in the spring and summer it is recommended to introduce nitrogen agents (for example, nitroammofoska). From organic matter, slurry, infusion of chicken droppings are used. You can feed the plants with urea or complex mineral preparations.
- Pruning elderberry. This sanitary or shaping procedure is carried out in early spring or autumn when the crop is harvested. Once every three years, all shoots must be shortened to a height of 0.1 m.
- General advice. When snow falls, it is thrown into the trunk circle and under the bush to protect the plant from freezing.
Elderberry breeding methods
You can get a new ornamental or medicinal elderberry plant by sowing its seeds or vegetatively (by rooting cuttings, dividing an overgrown bush or layering). The latter method is recommended to preserve varietal traits.
With the arrival of autumn, elderberries are collected. Well-ripe berries are ground through a sieve to separate the seeds. The beds are being prepared on which they are sown. The distance between the rows is maintained at about 25 cm. The depth of seed placement is 2–3 cm. When the next season comes to an end, the obtained seedlings will reach a height of 50–60 cm.
When grafting, blanks are cut in June-July. The twigs should be green with a length of 10-12 cm and have 2-3 internodes and two upper leaves. At the leaves on the petiole, only two paired leaf lobes should be left. Sections are treated with a root stimulator. Cuttings are planted in a container with a peat-sand mixture and covered with a cut plastic bottle. The first week, to increase the humidity, the shelter must be sprayed from the inside with a spray bottle, while trying to prevent drops from falling on the leafy cuttings, otherwise they may rot. With the arrival of autumn, rooted cuttings are planted in open ground.
To root the cuttings, you need to choose a young green branch or a 2-3 year old lignified shoot. This part is bent to the ground and placed in a previously dug groove, where a small amount of compost is poured. Then the layering is fixed there with a metal wire, while the tops remain above the ground.
If such an operation is carried out at the end of spring or in June, and at the base pull the layers with wire, then with the arrival of autumn they are separated from the elder elder plant. When the shoot is green, then it is not pulled over with a wire, but its jigging is performed already the next year, when its lignification occurs.
The division of an overgrown elderberry bush is carried out in the fall. When an adult bush has become large, then it is carefully dug up and divided into equal parts. The root may need to be chopped up with an ax or cut with a saw. Each division must have a sufficient number of root processes and shoots. All sections are treated with wood ash and immediately transplanted to a new location. If you plant in containers, then elderberry seedlings can be transferred to the open ground in the spring.
Potential difficulties in growing elderberries
Since the foliage, bark and some other parts of the plant are poisonous, almost all varieties of elderberry are not affected by harmful insects, and they usually do not notice any difficulties in care. However, it happens that you can see aphids on it, which appear on the bushes. Therefore, it is recommended, with the arrival of spring, to treat plantings with insecticides (Karbofos, Aktara or Aktellik) without violating the instructions in the instructions.
Facts to note about the elderberry plant
If even a small electric charge is applied to an elderberry ball, then you can easily demonstrate the properties of attraction and repulsion.
Since antiquity, physicians have known about the medicinal properties of the black elderberry variety. Infusions from dried fruits are used to remove bile, enhance urine output and intestinal motility. Brewed tea from inflorescences will help with the manifestation of bronchitis, laryngitis, it is prescribed for neuralgia and flu. The foliage reduces fever and has a sedative effect, with its diuretic, astringent and laxative properties. If you steam the leaves and apply externally, you can get rid of skin problems (boils and burns, diaper rash), the hemorrhoids are resolved.
You can not take black elderberry berries for pregnant women if a person suffers from colitis or chronic gastric diseases, diabetes insipidus.
Important
It is often difficult to distinguish between the berries of the black and red elderberry species (which are poisonous), therefore, if there is no exact certainty which plant is grown on the site, then you should not risk planting it in accessible places for children.
Description of elderberry species
Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra). This type is the most popular. The foliage has a multi-colored, variegated and even crimson color scheme. It takes the form of a shrub, which varies in height within 3, 5–6 m. The shape of the leaf is odorless, it includes 5 leaf lobes with an unpleasant odor. The color of the flowers is white-cream, they exude a fragrant aroma. From the flowers, racemose inflorescences are collected. The forms with purple foliage have notes of lemon scent. The fruits are edible, but very decorative. They are drupes with a shiny surface and glossy black color scheme. Their taste is sweet and sour. But foliage, bark and root processes are very poisonous. There are a large number of garden forms.
Blue elderberry (Sambucus coerulea). In nature, it prefers to grow along the banks of waterways; you can also find it on pastures located in the highlands of North America. A tree-like plant, reaching a height of 15 m, but occasionally it can grow in the form of a shrub with thin twigs, which are still young, cast with a reddish bark. The color of the bark of the trunks is light sandy. The leaf plates have 5–7 leaf lobes with a bare surface and bluish-green color scheme. Each leaflet is coarsely serrated, reaching 15 cm in length. From fragrant flowers of a creamy color, inflorescences in the form of shields are collected. Their diameter is 15 cm. Flowering stretches up to 20 days. The plant bears fruit with bluish-black drupe berries with a bluish bloom, their shape is spherical. At the same time, the fruits look very impressive against the background of dark green foliage.
Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is found under the name Elderberry racemosa. Grows naturally in the mountains of Western Europe. In height, the tree can reach 5 m or is presented in the form of a deciduous shrub with a dense crown resembling an egg. The foliage is light green, the outlines of the leaf plate are pinnate. The length of the leaf is 16 cm, while it includes 5–7 leaf lobes of elongated outlines, with a serrated edge and a pointed tip at the top. Leaves and branches have an unpleasant odor.
From a variety of greenish-yellow flowers, oblong panicle inflorescences are formed. The diameter of the inflorescence is 6 cm. The fruits are berries of bright red color and small sizes. It has been grown in culture since 1596. Many garden forms are available.
Elderberry (Sambucus ebulus) is found under the name Elderberry smelly. In its natural environment, it is found on the territory of Ukraine, the Caucasus and Belarus, this plant is not uncommon in the southern regions of the European part of Russia. Prefers scree or riverbanks. It has a bad smell, but becomes quite decorative during flowering and fruiting. In height, its shoots reach 1.5 m. Shields growing on the tops of branches are formed from the berries. In its raw form, these fruits are poisonous, since they contain hydrocyanic acid. Often this variety is planted in the garden next to currant bushes, as it can scare off kidney mites, harmful butterflies. But there is a chance that it will be very difficult to bring out, then the elderberry will be very difficult because of the thick rhizome with creeping processes. If the flowers of this species are dried, then they have a pleasant aroma and they are used for pouring apples, which are left for storage in boxes.
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