Sambucus nigra 'Eiffel1' BLACK TOWER

Aren’t the breeders krafty, I often say to myself. Take European elder, for instance. This omnipresent shrub grows anywhere, without any maintenance and the more you prune it the thicker it gets. Well, what a promising start for cultivation, someone said. And here we are! So forget about the common weed of our countryside and dive in the world of SAMBUCUS, the world of colours, shapes and sizes that, with 10 different varieties, could well do for one complete garden.

BLACK TOWER is another child from the nursery breeding programme of popular Black Beauty and Black Lace^®. It was awarded a prize for best new ornamental plant in England in 2010. It is a variety of European elder with deep burgundy black, deciduous leaves and strictly upright habit which is ideal for less spacious areas as opposed to common elder. The foliage colour is truly striking but not only its leaves make this shrub so special – in late spring flattened panicles of pinkish-white flowers appear and look exquisite on the deep purple-black background. They are followed by edible berries in late summer.

Elder tolerates wide ranges of soil and will be happy of almost any location. This variety grows quite neat and keeps its shape even without pruning but you can always gain a denser plant by early spring pruning. You can cut back anything from 1/3 to 2/3 of previous year’s growth but after hard pruning it will flower less. Fully hardy to about -30°C (USDA zone 5), possibly more. It is suitable for growing in containers and outdoor pots all year round.

Last update 02-01-2012