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Imagine a plant that is a good quality medicine RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD(!) to support the immune system to fight off colds and flu, is anti-inflammatory, has high levels of antioxidants and other sorts of other beneficial compounds for immune and general health support, and a flower that produces an amazing and beneficial tea or cordial or even champagne? A plant that is easy to propagate, yet still very sought after, AND somehow surprisingly hard to get. A plant that has recently garnered millions of research dollars to study, improve and cultivate for growers and product producers alike! A plant that supports local biodiversity, is attractive to native pollinators and anchors soil in place as a longterm perennial... Yep. I am waxing poetic about the elderberry. Specifically the American elderberry. Scientifically known as Sambucus canadensis.
Most elderberry products in the US use European elderberries (Sambucus nigra)- a plant LONG recognized as a highly beneficial medicine as well as exceptional flavor in the kitchen. The berries are not eaten raw (uncooked they can cause stomach upset for some people) but cooked into syrups, jams, jellies, cordial ... and the flowers are highly prized for flavor! Home-brewed elderflower and citrus champagne, anyone? Elderberries historically were planted at the edges of gardens as "protectors". They looked after the people and the other plants in some sense. Even the name elder has a deep layer of respect and care associated with it.
American elderberries, until recently, were mostly just viewed as good for wildlife and never seriously bred or looked at as a medicinal plant in Western medicine EVEN though they also have had an important history as a medicinal and edible plant throughout the Americas by indigenous peoples. Unlike elderberries in Europe, the value for this incredible native plant hasn't been present in the general public... but THAT is changing! Recently this has begun to change as growers, local producers and researchers have become looking at American elderberries as one of those so-awesome-how-did-we-not-realize-it-before kind of plants . How beneficial are they? And do they compare to their European relatives? The preliminary research is a resounding "YES". They are hugely beneficial like their European counterparts AND possibly even more valuable for growers in the US. For instance, they are better adapted to growing conditions in the US (European varieties struggle to grow in the Great Plains, for instance), fruit occurs on first year old wood instead of 2nd year old wood like European varieties (meaning they can be cut down to the ground every year to promote more even fruit set and be more disease resistant with easier harvesting), AND they have higher levels of certain beneficial compound like anthocyanin (European variety has 4 anthocyanin compounds... the American variety has 7!!! ). All these factors are SO VERY exciting when considering growing an Elderberry native to the Americas. Maybe even in your own backyard.
I know! I know! Don't you just want to immediately grow American elderberries right where you are EVEN if you don't have space for one!? Yep. Me, too. Okay, but before you start, here's a few things you need to decide on:
Size and Maintenance: Elderberries can become substantial bushes ... as in 8-10 feet... especially if you want to minimally manage them and not cut them back at the end of the year. So don't plant them in the middle of your garden if you don't want it to shade out your plants. The American elderberry can handle shade and can be pruned to the ground every year (called "coppicing") if you want to keep them smaller. You can even make your own cuttings in winter to distribute or sell to your community.
Choose Your Varieties: Some popular new varieties are Ranch, Wyldewood, Bob Gordon, Pocahontas, York, and Adams just to name a few. They come as "determinate" (producing fruit all at one time) or "indeterminate" (producing fruit that ripens over a longer window). Ideally you'll have two varieties. Elderberries do appear to be wind pollinated but seem to benefit or are assisted by insect pollination, though, as far as I have read, it's still not entirely understood. They don't seem to attract honeybees (strange, right?) but do attract smaller native bees and small beetles which appear to support better pollination.
If you live on the west coast (including the desert!), there's another native variety that grows well there called the blue elderberry or Sambucus caerulea. Check it out if this applies to you!
Elderberry cutting: Notice this cutting has a pointy 45 degree angle cut at the bottom and a flat cut at the top. It also includes two sets of opposing buds. Once planted the top buds will start " leafing out" while the bottom buds will be buried underground at planting and begin to form the roots for your new plant.
Growing elderberries: So how do you do it? Growing elderberries is surprisingly simple. To grow from cuttings (the easiest and cheapest way!), get the cuttings from an American elderberry supplier in the winter months. See some resources below for where to find them, especially new improved varieties for flavor and productivity and ease of harvesting. Store until the weather warms when we are past most hard freezes. The cuttings can survive a freeze, but grow better if they don't have to recover from a hard freeze. Poke the cuttings directly into the ground or the soil of a deep pot (pointy end down) at least 3-4 inches down so the bottom leaf node is buried. This is where the roots will emerge. Then just let the momentum of spring help your elderberry cutting burst into life. They love to be kept moist which is typically not a problem for spring, but if the weather is hot and dry, give them some special water love!
What to Expect: Generally in the first season after planting it is recommended to pinch back the flowers to encourage root production... gasp, I know! No berries! But don't worry, the flowers make an awesome tea. In future, you can even harvest up to 15% of the flowers in the spring with no impact on the weight of the berry harvest per plant (the remaining flowers just turn into slightly bigger berries).
That first winter with American elderberries, you can actually cut back your plants, save the cuttings (width bigger than a pencil) in a cold place (ex: the refrigerator) with at least two nodes for planting new elderberries. The following year, harvest some flowers, then harvest your first fruits. At the end of the season, fertilize with compost and/or all-purpose fertilizer with plenty of micronutrients. By year three, you can get up to 5-8 pounds of berries per bush! Some new varieties like 'Pocahontas' have even higher yields!
And the possibilities are endless for what you can do with the berries. Freeze them. Dry them. Juice them. Make your own elderberry gummies or syrup to give you an extra bit of immune support to fight off the common cold (kids LOVE gummies). It's medicine and awesome food and resilience all in one plant.
Learn more about elderberries:
River Hills Harvest: Elderberry products, cuttings and growing supplies. https://www.riverhillsharvest.com/
Grow Elderberry guides and cutting from Terry Durham: https://www.growelderberries.com/
The elderberry entrepreneur: want to grow an elderberry side business? Or make your own product. Get ideas or inspiration here: http://www.elderberryentrepreneur.com/
Paper on "A comparative evaluation of anti-cancer properties of European and American elderberry fruits": one example of some of the studies coming out on medicinal value of the different varieties: https://www.midwest-elderberry.coop/a-comparative-evaluation-of.pdf
The Elderberry Grower's Guide (Midwest): from The Savanna Institute at https://www.savannainstitute.org/elderberry-guide-download/
Elderberry Grower's Guide (Northeast): from University of Vermont and others at https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/media/ElderberryGuideComplete.pdf
The Elderberry Book by John Moody: forage, cultivate, prepare and preserve elderberries.
Fedco Trees (ME): https://fedcoseeds.com/trees/elderberries
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