Lemony Lace^® Elderberry Sambucus racemosa

I have had 2 of these elderberry plants for about 5 years now. The first year they grew taller than 5 feet and bushy in about 5 hours of sun. The next year i had to move one of them and the other i had to chop significantly. Since then I have been moving them to pots and all over the place and they are stunning and grow amazing every year. I know that when I finally decide to put them in their forever spot they will be happy and grow big. Mine seem to love sun and don't require much fuss. I add tree and shrub spikes during the season changes, and the only fuss i see is that it prefers to grow in the ground. I live in NYC. I just purchased 2 for my mother who loves the color.

I bought 5 Lemony Lace bushes and this is their third year. Two are growing in full sun and three in partial shade. The ones in full sun seem to grow faster, but the branches on all the bushes are very brittle. They arrived with broken branches and even now the branches will break if you even look at them cross-eyed. Each spring I start over with a very small plant.

Loved the plant but it got the verticillium wilt and had to be removed and the soil around it removed. Can't plant anything similar in that location now. I suspect it came with the plant when we purchased it. The nursery told us to trim it back in late winter it will be fine. Really suspect it had it when we purchased it.

Elderberry borer beetle can cause the new shoots to wilt and they make holes in the stem of the branches.

I planted lemony lime elderberry three years ago and it is truly lovely. It still needs to balance a bit, but the height is 6' and width is 4.5 feet, so I expect the horizontal expansion to come in the next two years as I can see the growth in that direction. The colors it expresses are maroon, bright yellow, and bright green, with white blossoms. It is one of the most favorite bushes I have used in my gardening experience over the last 25 years. I have a small garden now and it is the star. I do not water unless it is has been dry for more than a week. I am in zone 6 and it is planted at the top of a slight downward grade, which is great for drainage.