Thread

Elder Berry?

Yes! It flowers and fruits at the same time! All year round, pretty much. 🌺

I've almost had mine in the ground a year. I didn't realise that they grew so quickly. I pruned mine down to the ground at the end of winter & it's regrown thicker & about as tall as before (I can't touch the top). Still hasn't flowered but some of the cuttings I planted have. Probably should have waited for it to flower & fruit before pruning.

They are very prolific. Next winter I will stick some cuttings in the ground to create a border

You could almost turn them into a hedge. The cuttings would grow better in the warmer, wet months I think. I've been thinking about doing a Mexican Sunflower hedge along the fence line. It also grows very prolific and has big yellow flowers in summer. I did quite a few cuttings after the last rain in autumn but most didn't make it through winter. The Mexican Sunflower is seen as a weed here because the cuttings root so easily. You need to regularly prune it to stop it falling over & rooting. The elderberry doesn't have the same stigma as Mexican Sunflower.

Supernice GM!

I did have the Mexican sunflower and did not enjoy it! Was extremely difficult to stay on top. And then the problem of what to do with the pruned cuttings🙄

The green stems don't seem to root easily. It's the woody stems that take root and only if they're in contact with the soil. It makes excellent mulch & you can ferment the cuttings in a barrel of water to make liquid fertilizer. This is my first season that I'll be growing it. I've seen it out of control, which is where I got the bulk of my cuttings. Should be interesting, FAFO!