Elderberry Plants: Location, Timing And Tips For Growing In Pots And In The Garden
When should you plant your elderberry tree? What do you have to consider when growing elderberry in a pot? You can find everything you need to know about planting elderberries here. The elder is a robust and undemanding wood that you can plant both in your garden and in a pot on the balcony. Perhaps you have already asked yourself the question: is the elderberry a shrub or a tree?
In nature, the elder usually grows as a shrub with a bastion habit. This means that the elder does not have a single trunk as the dominant main axis, but always sprout new trunks from buds close to the ground. However, through targeted pruning, young elderberry plants can easily be brought into the classic growth form of a tree with a trunk and crown. As a high trunk, the elder is more space-saving and therefore well suited for the balcony. Elderberries are also grown in this way in commercial fruit growing.
In this article, you will learn how to properly plant the elderberry and in which locations it is comfortable. You can read more about elderberries – for example about planting, caring for, and propagating them, as well as various types and varieties of elderberries – in our article on elderberries.
Planting elderberries: the right time
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It is best to plant the elder bush or elder tree in autumn (September / October) or at the beginning of spring (March / April). At these times the plant has ideal conditions to grow well and develop optimally.
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The perfect location for elderberry bushes
Elderberry plants are very undemanding and feel good in a sunny location as well as in partial shade. In terms of soil type, the elderberry does not have high demands and thrives on almost any soil. But it does particularly well on well-drained, moist, and slightly calcareous soils with high humus content.
Plant elderberry tree in the garden
Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball in a convenient spot in your yard. Enrich the loosened soil in the planting hole with compost, horn shavings or another fertilizer such as our mainly organic universal fertilizer. In this way, you provide the elderberry with optimal nutrients right from the start, so that it can grow well. Place the root ball in the planting hole, fill it with the substrate, and press firmly. After you have planted the elder, you should water it generously. If you want to plant several elderberry bushes at the same time, for example when creating an elder hedge, you should not go below a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters.
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Grow elderberries in pots
If you want to grow elderberries in pots, smaller varieties such as the yellow-leaved ‘Golden Tower’ variety of the black elder ( Sambucus nigra ) are particularly suitable. It reaches a height of 1.5 to 2.5 meters. Even in the form of a high trunk, the elder is well suited as a potted plant for the balcony, as it requires less space than in the form of a shrub. Peat-free garden soils are suitable as a substrate.
With the right care and the right pruning, elderberry plants develop more beautifully from year to year and produce creamy white flowers in June and juicy fruits from September. This makes the elderberry a valuable source of food for insects and birds.
If you would like to find out more about harvesting and the many uses of elderflowers and berries, you can find helpful tips and suggestions in our article on “Harvesting and using elderberries”.
