Other Names:  Black Elder, Common Elder

Description:

A most impressive garden shrub with dense green foliage; creamy white flowers look stunning in summer, and then give way to a heavy yield of tasty fruit; will tolerate a wide range of soils; great for shrub borders or screens

Ornamental Features

Haschberg Elder features showy clusters of fragrant white flowers with creamy white overtones held atop the branches from late spring to mid summer. It has attractive green deciduous foliage. The serrated pointy compound leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The round sweet berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Preserves
• Wine-Making

Landscape Attributes

Haschberg Elder is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a high maintenance shrub that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Haschberg Elder is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Haschberg Elder will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.