How to grow Sambucus

What are Sambucus?

Sambucus, or elder, are vigorous

Deciduous refers to plants (mainly trees and shrubs) that lose their leaves seasonally, usually during autumn. This is a natural process triggered by the season's shorter days and lower temperatures and allows plants to conserve energy during the winter months.

How to choose elders

Our native elder, Sambucus nigra, is a popular choice for naturalistic and wildlife-friendly gardens. It forms a large shrub or medium-sized tree (up to 6m/20ft) with abundant flowers for pollinating insects, berries that are eaten by birds and small mammals, and leaves that are food for the caterpillars of several moth species.

Many cultivars of S. nigra are available, with different coloured leaves, flowers and berries. Options include dark purple or yellow leaves, lacy or ferny foliage, pink flowers, and purplish berries. The cultivars are generally less vigorous than S. nigra, usually forming shrubs rather than trees.

You may also find a few cultivars of the European red elder (S. racemosa) – a shrub with lacy leaves – mainly from specialist tree and shrub stockists. These include S. racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’ with yellow leaves and ‘Tenuifolia’ with red berries.

Most elders need plenty of space, as they can easily reach 3–4m (10–13ft) tall if left to grow. However, they can also be hard pruned annually to keep them more compact, which can also lead to more colourful leaves.

How and what to buy

Elders are readily available from garden centres and nurseries, as well as online outlets by mail order. Tree and shrub specialists stock the widest choice of cultivars.

Plants are usually sold in 3 litre pots or larger. As elders grow quite quickly, it’s not usually worth buying a mature specimen.

When buying:

• Choose plants with plenty of young, vigorous stems and a well-balanced shape

• Reject plants with broken stems or leaf damage

• Avoid those with moss or weeds in the pot, as they may be older plants that haven’t sold

For more information on buying good quality plants, use our guides below.

Buying: trees and shrubs

Buying: trees and shrubs

RHS guide to buying healthy plants

RHS guide to buying healthy plants

When to plant Sambucus

Container-grown elders can be planted at any time of year, but avoid planting when the soil is wet or frozen in winter, and during dry spells in summer. Planting in spring and autumn is best.

Where to plant Sambucus

Elders will grow well in any soil that is not prone to waterlogging.

They like sun or partial shade. However, cultivars with golden leaves can lose some of their colour if planted in a location that is too shady.

How to plant Sambucus

Elders are easy to plant – see our step-by-step guides below.

Before planting, it is best to prepare the whole planting area (not just the planting hole) by digging in plenty of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure. Dig in one bucketful per square metre (square yard) to a spade’s depth.

RHS guide to planting shrubs

RHS guide to planting shrubs

RHS video guide to planting shrubs

RHS video guide to planting shrubs

RHS guide to planting trees

RHS guide to planting trees

Watering

You should water newly planted elders regularly for at least the first year, until their roots have spread out into the soil. 

Once established, elders are drought tolerant and shouldn’t need additional watering.

However, during periods of prolonged drought they may need additional water even when established. Look out for signs of water stress: shrivelled leaves with brown edges and leaves falling off prematurely.

RHS video guide to watering efficiently

RHS video guide to watering efficiently

Feeding

Elders don’t generally need feeding, but to encourage vigorous growth after pruning, you can feed in spring. Use a general-purpose fertiliser, such as Growmore or fish, blood and bone, then apply a mulch of organic matter.

Young elders don’t need to be pruned until they have become established, so a couple of years after planting.

Pruning is not essential, but can be done:

• to keep these vigorous plants to a manageable size, with fresh growth low down

• to reduce the size of a large, well-established tree that has outgrown its space

• to encourage more ornamental foliage – hard pruning established elder in late winter or early spring encourages a flush of new growth that carries particularly bright and vibrant leaves

For step-by-step instructions on these techniques, see our pruning guides below.

Pruning for colourful stems or large foliage

Pruning for colourful stems or large foliage

Shrubs: renovation

Shrubs: renovation

RHS beginner's guide to pruning shrubs

RHS beginner's guide to pruning shrubs