Skip to Content Skip to Navigation
Menu

The information on this page is for reference only. This variety is no longer available from Proven Winners®.

Black Beauty® Elderberry Sambucus nigra

Flower Season
  • Fall
Mature Size
12' 12' 3.7m 3.7m
Height: 8' - 12'
Spread: 8' - 12'
Height: 2.4m - 3.7m
Spread: 2.4m - 3.7m
  • 96 - 144 Inches
    108 - 156 Inches
    96 - 144 Inches
    2.4m - 3.7m
    2.7m - 4.0m
    2.4m - 3.7m

    Features

    This variety is no longer available from Proven Winners®. Alternatives include: Black Lace® and Laced Up®.

    Sophisticated - memorable - beautiful - yes, it's an elderberry!

    Elderberry is not the first plant most people think of for a dramatic landscape accent, but Black Beauty® elderberry changes all of that. Dark purple-black foliage looks rich and lush all season and gets even better when accented by extra large pink flowers in early summer. Black Beauty elderberry produces edible fruit if a compatible pollinator, such as Black Lace®, Instant Karma®, or Laced-Up® elderberry, is planted nearby.

    Top reasons to grow Black Beauty® elderberry:

    - deep purple-black foliage looks handsome in the landscape and works with lots of different colors

    - big pink flowers in early summer offer a sweet anise scent

    - very tough and durable, growing well in a range of soil conditions

    Produces Berries
    Foliage Interest
    Fall Interest
    Attracts: 
    Birds
    Resists: 
    Deer

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Shrub
    Shrub Type: 
    Deciduous
    Height Category: 
    Tall
    Garden Height: 
    96 - 144 Inches 2.4m - 3.7m
    Spacing: 
    108 - 156 Inches 2.7m - 4.0m
    Spread: 
    96 - 144 Inches 2.4m - 3.7m
    Flower Colors: 
    Pink
    Flower Shade: 
    Pink
    Foliage Colors: 
    Purple
    Foliage Shade: 
    Black/Purple
    Habit: 
    Upright
    Container Role: 
    Thriller

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Part Sun to Sun
    Light Requirement: 
    Sun

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Moderate
    Blooms On: 
    Old Wood
    Bloom Time: 
    Early Summer
    Hardiness Zones: 
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Border Plant
    Uses: 
    Container
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Uses: 
    Specimen or Focal Point
    Uses Notes: 

    Grow either as a shrub or cut it back every year and make it into a bold perennial. Good in groupings and masses, perennial and shrub borders, as a specimen or screen, on roadsides or for naturalizing, good in boggy or wet gardens.

    PLEASE NOTE: To produce berries, you'll need a Black Lace®, Instant Karma®, or Laced Up® as a pollinator. Both plants will get berries.

    Maintenance Notes: 

    According to the Humane Society of America, elderberry can be toxic to pets if consumed.

    Best in moist soil although will tolerate dry soils. Thrives under acid or alkaline soils. Best if pruned immediately after blooming. May be pruned to the ground each year and grown like a perennial. Fertilize in early spring by applying a granular fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs. Follow the label for the recommended rate of application.

    The color on Black Beauty elderberry is best in cool climates; in hot areas, it may grow primarily green foliage.

    Black Beauty® Sambucus nigra 'Gerda' USPP 12,305
Back to Top

Find plants you love and create idea boards for all your projects.

To create an idea board, sign in or create an account.