Sambucus

We like Sambucus and grow Madonna...Sutherland Gold..Black Lace...Gerda,...and Black Tower.....in our small garden!!

Gosh you do have a lot! You are so right about them growing quickly once established - I cut mine very drastically just this spring and its already back to its original height.

Same here Stera....

Mine came from Cotswold Garden Flowers, they have lots of varieties and alot of new ones now. I think Sutherland Gold and Black Lace are the best and Black Tower is good, Thundercloud has deep pink flowers which contrast well.

we get loads of self seeded native ones thanks to the birds.
lovely collection Dawn.

Thanks Seaburn, we get a few wild ones appearing too, they’re covered in flowers at the moment, I tried making elder flower champagne once but it didn’t seem to ferment

Have you tried elderflower tea Dawn? One spray of flowers makes enough for two people. Very refreshing.
I do like Aureamarginata. Wonder if someone will develop one with pink flowers...

Now this is where I advertise my ignorance! Is this the elder berry we find in hedgerows? (Can't be!).

I grew up in a household where we brewed a LOT of elderberry wine and champagne. Never tried elderflower tea though it sounds tempting!

My Grandma's cure of a cold was a large glass of elderberry wine. The bugs didn't stand a chance!!

yes it is the same genus.

We tried making it once but bottled it too soon and the corks blew out - the smell was overpowering...

Steragram: The same thing happened with some raspberry wine my mother made. We had a large walk-in larder with white -washed walls. You should have seen the walls after the "explosion". Looked like a slaughter-house. :O(

Seaburngirl: I've learnt something. Thank you.

Love the ones with the purple foliage.

I think Sutherland Gold is still my favourite then Thundercloud. There's one now called Milk Chocolate and that's the colour of the leaves.

Love them all, didn`t know there were so many varieties.

You'd be flabbergasted Stroller, so many!

Like Stroller, I had no idea there were so many varieties - thanks Dawn! We had a dark-leaved one but OH didn't like their smell . . . I love them, and tried Sutherland Gold but lost it :(

I’ve lost two Sutherland gold, strange, this is my final one, if it goes the same way no more. My OH doesn’t like them either, he thinks they look wild but I like them a lot.

They're very pretty. I didn't know there were so many types.

I know Hywel and varieties are getting more and more available