Sambucus nigra Black Beauty (Elder Black Beauty)

was after a sambucus black beauty ... rang a few local garden centres and only one small garden centre said they had a few

so, went there and there were only 2, so bought both as they were cheap (£5.99 each and approx 2 feet high), and will plant the other one at another client's home

never read the label properly at the garden centre, but this is what the label states:

Sambucus Nigra Black Beauty
an aupright bushy shrub with mid-green leaves. Musk scented white flowers in early summer, followed by glossy black fruit. height 6m
spread 6m. Flowers from May to June. Fruits from august.
Deciduous. hardy

so, that is not the description I found on the internet (has pink flowers and not white?)...

this is what it says on the shoot website:

Variety or cultivar: 'Black Beauty' _ 'Black Beauty' is a compact, deciduous shrub or tree with dark purple-black leaves, flat heads of pink flowers in early summer and dark purple-black berries in autumn.
Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty' is: Deciduous
Flower: Pink in Summer
Foliage: Dark-purple, Black in Spring; Black, Dark-purple in Summer; Dark-purple, Black in Autumn
Fruit: Dark-purple, Black in Autumn
Fragrance: Flowers are scented.
Habit: Bushy, Compact

I hope that the label is incorrect, as I really wanted the black beauty. The leaves are a purpely colour though...

I have attached 2 photos .... I also see something has been chewing some of the leaves ... do I spray for aphids?

 

I have S. nigra 'Black Lace' so not exactly the same but very close, i can tell you that the newly emerging foliage will be a green colour until it's mature and then it's an almost black colour and the flowers are indeed a pink.

Your picture shows more of a purple colour but i expect it will darker as it matures and yours will have pink flowers.

They're as tough as old boots, grow several feet in one season and have roots that are very difficult to remove.
So i'd say, make sure you've allowed plenty of room all around this plant, this is a tree, wants to get about 12' by 12' and will reward you with gorgeous colour

So many times people hack at it all through the year and never let the thing be itself - i hate seeing trees and shrubs continually hacked-at

 

thanks Louise ... it is planted close to other shrubs but have allowed some space ... some internet sites state that the eventual height is 3m and spread is 3m

some sites also say that it can be pruned to the ground in spring .... I won't do that, but will try grow one as a tree and the other as a shrub

 

I grew a Black Lace in a large pot and pruned it back to a frame work in the spring just as the buds start to swell. After a couple of years it reached a good 5 or 6ft in one year and flowered well. It's still in my mum's garden now and just as healthy and attractive.

As Louise says though if its planted in the ground it would be nice to leave it and let grow, just removing dead wood or any crossing wood.

There is also the option in between of pruning it back ever third year if space is limited..

Good Luck and enjoy :thumb:

 

The only successful planting will have to be under it because anything taller will be smothered by it and the other plants growth will get stunted.

Adjust your planting plan to make the neighbouring plants under 2' high and make the plants next to it (the sides, back and front) at least 4' away from it or you'll be forever hacking at it :(
I have a single stemmed tree and the foliage reach/circumference is about 4' on every side.
If you'd been growing it as a multi stemmed specimen you'd need double that !

These plants grow at an incredibly fast pace.

 

thanks Louise ... should not be a problem in both gardens ... there will not be anything planted directly underneath as the bed is narrow and near a 2m high south facing brick wall... width wise, it will have approx 2 1/2 meters on either side to spread (to the left is a ceanothus concha and to the right is a japanese maple that is partly in shade due to a wall)



there will be some heuchera planted either side (Heucherella solar power mixed with Heuchera Georgia peach ... both new varieties and grow well in sun or shade and hardy) ... the edging is black ornamental grass (tough as old boots and will look good with the black leaves of the Sambucus and the yellow and red leaves of the Huechera)

the other garden will not be a problem either as it will have a lot more space

so, I'm hoping all will be well (I'm still learning)

 

Black Lace is the one I have. Pink flowers, very vigorous, and now some 12 feet tall after about 5 years. I have it planted amongst other trees and it sits in nicely

 

I am besoted as well,I fell for this at one of my clients.

 

here is a brand new Sambucus .... called black tower ....

good for 'tight' spaces as the spread is much narrower than the others (8 foot high and 1,2m wide), and has foilage that grows at ground level .... looks interesting for smaller gardens

Sambucus Black Tower: New for 2011 - Graham Rice's New Plants Blog

 

As a long time fan of bronze leaved plants i like it.
It took me a while to decide i did but i do !!!
I wasn't sure about those huge leaves but i've warmed to them, i also like the shape it creates aswell as the columnar effect the leaves produce by being right to the bottom.
Now if only they weren't deciduous :WINK1:

 

I like the yellow sambucus aswell (would be nice if they breed a narrow one aswell for small gardens)

Sambucus Racemosa 'Sutherland Gold' (Golden Elderberry) Gal. Pot - Stargazer Perennials Online Nursery

plant the black and yellow sambucas on either side with a shrub or tree with reddish foilage such as a smoke bush
http://www.johnstonplants.com/images/fl.shrub/cotinus%20coggygria%20royal%20purple%20smoke%20bush1.JPG

may look good during summer?

 

I like the yellow one too

 

I've got Sambucus nigra Thundercloud which looks very like yours. Purple foliage, dark red buds opening to fragrant pale pink flowers. Height and spread predicted to be 2m by 2m. I've only had it a couple of years but it does seem to be tough!