Sambucus nigra 'Laced Up' (Ornamental Elder) – Columnar Dark Leaf Shrub (3L Pot)

Sambucus 'Laced Up' is an ornamental elder that grows straight up rather than out, with the same finely cut purple black leaves on a narrow columnar plant.

That shape is what makes it useful. It reaches two and a half to three metres tall but only about a metre to a metre and a half across, so you can use it as an exclamation mark in a small garden, at the back of a narrow border or in a large pot, where a normal elder would swamp everything. The lace like leaves hold their dark colour through the season.

Clusters of pink tinged flowers open in early summer against the dark foliage and are worked by bees and butterflies, and small dark berries may follow in autumn for the birds. Plant it in full sun for the deepest leaf colour; in partial shade the leaves look greener.

It is completely hardy, stands coastal wind, grows fast and asks for very little beyond an optional prune in late winter to keep its shape. Water it well through the first season while it roots in. Supplied as an established plant in a 3L pot.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Ornamental elder
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 2.5 to 3m tall by 1 to 1.5m wide
• Growth Habit: Upright, columnar, compact deciduous shrub
• Perfect For: Small gardens, narrow borders, specimen planting, wildlife gardens and large containers
• Foliage: Finely dissected, lace like, dark purple black leaves
• Flowering Time: Early summer, clusters of pink tinged flowers, with small dark berries in autumn
• Planting Position: Full sun for the darkest leaf colour, or partial shade, including coastal gardens. Fully hardy.
• Soil Type: Most well drained soils
• Hardiness: Fully hardy right across Britain
• Maintenance: Low. An optional prune in late winter or early spring keeps the shape.
• Seasonal Interest: Summer and autumn
• Type: Hardy deciduous shrub