European elder (Sambucus nigra) is a rampant, invasive species with mid-green leaves has little appeal to most gardeners, but there are several cultivars that make attractive garden subjects. Height and spread: 20 x 13 feet (6 × 4 m) after 10 years, ultimately 26 feet 98 m) tall.
Aurea (golden elder) is a very hardy variety. It needs full sun for its leaves to develop the best golden color, which deepens as summer ends. It can be coppiced to good effect every one to three years. Aureomarginata has bright yellow-edged foliage and should be treated in the same way as aurea. Guincho Purple bears green foliage to begin with, which develops into purple-black growth in summer, finally turning red in autumn. The flowers are pinkish in bud on purple stalks. If it is shaded or coppiced, it tends to stay quite green all year.
Finely divided green leaflets distinguish f. laciniata (fern-leaved elder). It can be coppiced to resemble a clump of ferns, or allowed to grow into a small tree of 13 x 10 (4 × 3 m) in 20 years. Linearis has variably shaped leaflets often cut to the midrib. The plant seldom exceeds a height and spread of 6.5 x 6.5 feet (2 × 2 m). Marginata is a silver to white variegated variety. It is vigorous and produces coppice regrowth of around 5 feet (1.5 m) in the first year. The green leaves have creamy edges. Full sun is needed to produce good color. Pulverulenta is a small slow-growing plant with white-mottled leaves.
European red elder (S. racemosa) has roughly conical heads of yellowish white flowers that are borne by this spreading shrubby tree. The berries are bright, glossy scarlet. Height and spread: 10 x 10 feet (3 × 3 m) after 10 years, ultimately 13 feet (4 m) tall.
Sutherland gold is a deeply cut, golden variety with yellowish flowers. It needs full light to develop good foliage color but often suffers from heat in southern Britain. Tenuifolia is a slow-growing, cut-leaved variety that grows well on lime-rich soils. It seldom exceeds a height and spread of 5 x 5 feet (1.5 × 1.5 m).
The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc./GID
Only a few varieties of elder are attractive garden plants.
