Sambucus nigra (Elderberry)
Color Name: Black Lace®
Black Lace is a stunning development in Elderberry breeding. Intense purple black foliage is finely cut, giving it an effect similar to that of Japanese maple. Indeed, some designers are using it in place of the Japanese maple since Black Lace is extremely durable and adaptable. Creamy pink flowers in spring contrast nicely with the dark leaves. They are followed by blackish red fall berries which can be harvested for making elderberry wine and jam, or left on the plant to attract birds and other wildlife. Black Lace is very cold hardy and easy to grow, and adaptable to most sites. Full sun is needed for the best color. It can be used as a dramatic accent plant, planted en masse for a trouble free high hedge, or incorporated into the mixed or perennial border. Left alone it will reach up to 8 feet in height, but Black Lace can also be pruned back each year to fit into more formal settings.
Growing Tips: If fruit is desired, plant with Black Beauty, Instant Karma, or Laced Up elderberry. Both flowers and ripe berries are edible; however, foliage and stems are toxic.
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.
Photo courtesy of Spring Meadow, Inc.
Black Lace is a stunning development in Elderberry breeding. Intense purple black foliage is finely cut, giving it an effect similar to that of Japanese maple. Indeed, some designers are using it in place of the Japanese maple since Black Lace is extremely durable and adaptable. Creamy pink flowers in spring contrast nicely with the dark leaves. They are followed by blackish red fall berries which can be harvested for making elderberry wine and jam, or left on the plant to attract birds and other wildlife. Black Lace is very cold hardy and easy to grow, and adaptable to most sites. Full sun is needed for the best color. It can be used as a dramatic accent plant, planted en masse for a trouble free high hedge, or incorporated into the mixed or perennial border. Left alone it will reach up to 8 feet in height, but Black Lace can also be pruned back each year to fit into more formal settings.
Growing Tips: If fruit is desired, plant with Black Beauty, Instant Karma, or Laced Up elderberry. Both flowers and ripe berries are edible; however, foliage and stems are toxic.
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.
Photo courtesy of Spring Meadow, Inc.
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Flower Color: Pink Shades Foliage Color: Black/Purple Shades
Height: 6 to 8 Feet Spread: 4 to 5 Feet Hardy in Zone: 5, 6 |
Blooms: Mid-Summer Summer
Foliage Season: All Season |
Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Shade
Soil Moisture Needs
Dry
Moderate
Attributes |
 Fragrant  Container Specimen Plant Mass Planting Landscapes Easy to Grow Drought Tolerant Colorful Foliage Border Berries
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Attracts
Butterflies
Critter Resistance
Deer
