Sambucus nigra 'Hyfjolais' CHERRY LACE

Aren’t the breeders crafty, I often say to myself. Take the 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 into the world of SAMBUCUS, a world of colours, shapes, and sizes that, given 10 different varieties, could well suffice for one complete garden.

CHERRY LACE is a European elder variety which originated from the seedlings of the highly successful BLACK LACE variety from 2001. It was discovered by John and Maria Jones at their Hyfryd Plants nursery in Wales, in the midwest of Great Britain, in 2014. It differs from its predecessor by having pinker flowers and redder young leaves. It blooms in May with abundant, slightly convex to almost flat panicles composed of tiny, fragrant, five-petaled flowers with deep pink to purple-red edges. The twigs inside the inflorescence are also purple-red, which enhances the colour intensity. It blooms profusely. By the end of summer, it produces a large number of edible fruits, dark purple to black in color, which are used for juices, squashes or jams.

In elders with coloured foliage, it’s more often the leaves that make the plant desirable because they offer attractive texture and striking color. CHERRY LACE has pinnate leaves, deeply lobed, dark burgundy in spring with a strong red pigment similar to the Guincho Purple variety, which fades during flowering and the leaves darken to almost black. They are deciduous and plentiful, perfectly covering the entire shrub.

In youth, the shrub spreads more sideways and gains height with age. Although the adult size is not yet known, it is estimated to be a little less than the species – about 2 meters in height and width. It grows moderately fast and densely, yet it retains delicacy and fluffiness due to the deeply lobed leaves, making it a great choice for integration among large-leaved or otherwise massive shrubs, which it softens with its texture and offers a welcome contrast with its colour. It is great for informal, deciduous hedges composed of shrubs with coloured foliage. Its branches are brittle, rough to the touch, and fragrant like the whole shrub. The variety is protected by patents: 66516 (Europe – 2024) and PP35979 (USA – 2024).

Elder tolerates a wide range of soil types and will be happy in almost any location except for waterlogged areas. Its size can easily be controlled by early spring pruning. You can cut back anything from 1/3 to 2/3 of the previous year’s growth, but after hard pruning it will flower less. Older plants benefit from the removal of old branches in order to rejuvenate. It thrives in full sun but blooms profusely in partial shade as well. Fully hardy to about -34°C (USDA zone 4); however, it is not suitable for long-term container growing.

Last update 26-01-2025