Red-berried elder

Red-berried elder: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shrub of 2–4 m with upright, later arching branches.

Leaf

Opposite, pinnate with usually 5 pointed, sharply toothed leaflets; unpleasant-smelling when crushed.

Bark

Greyish-brown with conspicuous warts (lenticels); the pith of the twigs is light brown.

Flower

Egg-shaped, upright clusters of yellowish-white flowers in April–May, together with the leaves.

Fruit

Dense, egg-shaped clusters of glossy scarlet berries in June–July; poisonous raw, especially the seeds.

Difference from elder

Elder has flat flower heads in June, black berries and white pith.

Difference from guelder rose

Guelder rose has simple, lobed leaves and berries in flat heads.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: November–March

Identify by feature: Pinnate leaves · Red berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Elder Sambucus nigra: flat flower heads in June, black berries and white pith. Difference from elder
• Guelder rose Viburnum opulus: simple, lobed leaves and berries in flat heads. Difference from guelder rose

Why grow it?

• Early flowers in April–May for bees and other insects.
• Scarlet berries as early as June–July, for blackbirds, thrushes and other birds.
• A native shrub for acid soil and partial shade.
• There are ornamental varieties with golden or finely cut leaves, such as ‘Sutherland Gold’.

Red-berried elder: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade or sun; in full sun it needs soil that doesn’t dry out.
• Acid, humus-rich soil, as in woodland or on sandy soil enriched with leaf mould; on chalky soil it grows less well.
• Attractive at a woodland edge, under tall trees or in a hedgerow.
• Allow 2–3 m width.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Acid soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Elder: Flowers and fruits later: together, flowers and berries from April to September.
• Rowan: Also for acid soil, with red berries in late summer: together, food for birds from June to October.
• Silver birch: Light foliage above the red-berried elder, on the same acid soil, as on a clear-fell in the Ardennes.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: english oak, sessile oak, pin oak, turkey oak
• Like acid soil, just like this plant: heather, rhododendron, japanese skimmia, raspberry, highbush blueberry, witch hazel, broom, gorse

Red-berried elder: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. Dig a generous planting hole and mix in leaf mould.
3. Plant at the same depth as before and firm the soil.
4. Water generously after planting and in dry spells during the first year.

Care

Watering

In the first year and in dry summers; it doesn’t like drying out.

Feeding

A little leaf mould in spring; nothing more is needed.

Mulch

A layer of leaves or wood chips keeps the soil cool and moist, as in woodland.

Seedlings

Birds sow it around: weed out unwanted seedlings while they are small.

Tip: Want colour in a partly shaded corner? Choose a golden, cut-leaved variety such as ‘Sutherland Gold’ and cut it back every year at the end of February: you’ll get a cloud of fine, golden foliage.

Red-berried elder: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–March.

When: While dormant in winter (November–March).

How:

• Every few years, saw the oldest branches off at ground level; it readily sprouts again.
• Remove dead branches and those growing inwards.
• Varieties with golden or cut leaves can be cut back hard at the end of February: they then produce large, decorative leaves, but fewer flowers and berries.

Caution: Finish pruning before mid-March, when the nesting season begins.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Hardwood cuttings

In winter, cut 20–30 cm lengths from young branches and push them two-thirds into the ground; they root readily.

Sowing

Sow the seeds from ripe berries outdoors in summer; they often only germinate after a winter or later. Wear gloves.

Red-berried elder: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• It is one of the first shrubs to come into leaf: its fat buds are already swelling in March.

Diseases and pests

• Black aphids: Colonies of black aphids on the young shoot tips in spring. Ladybirds and tits usually clear them up; otherwise hose them off with water.
• Scorched leaves: Golden-leaved varieties get brown edges in the fierce midday sun. Give them light shade or morning sun.
• Drought: On dry soil the leaves wilt and the berries drop. Water and mulch the soil.

Through the year

• January: Winter pruning: remove the oldest branches.
• February: Cut golden-leaved varieties back hard.
• March: Last month for pruning and planting; the buds are already breaking.
• April: Flowering: yellowish-white clusters for early bees.
• June: The berries turn scarlet.
• July: Berries for the birds; sow seeds.
• November: Plant and take hardwood cuttings.
• December: Winter pruning.

What can you use it for?

For wildlife

Early flowers for insects and berries for birds, as early as midsummer.

Garden and landscape

Native shrub for acid soil and partial shade; there are ornamental varieties with golden or finely cut leaves.

Caution: The berries are poisonous raw, especially the seeds.

Did you know?

• In the Ardennes it is a typical pioneer of clear-fells and woodland edges on acid soil; birds sow it everywhere.
• The pith of its twigs is light brown, that of the common elder white: a way to tell them apart even in winter.