Black Lace

Elderberry Sambucus nigra

Distinctive lacy foliage all season and soft pink early summer flowers. Season long color and texture. Fall fruit attracts birds. Deer resistant.

Black Lace is a stunning development in Elderberry breeding.

Intense purple black foliage is finely cut, giving it an effect similar to that of Japanese maple. Indeed, some designers are using it in place of the more sensitive acer varieties since Black Lace is extremely durable and adaptable. Creamy pink flowers in spring contrast nicely with the dark leaves. They are followed by blackish red fall berries which can be harvested for making elderberry wine and jam, or left on the plant to attract birds and other wildlife. Black Lace is very cold hardy and easy to grow, and adaptable to most sites. Full sun is needed for the best color. It can be used as a dramatic accent plant, planted en masse for a trouble free high hedge, or incorporated into the mixed or perennial border. Left alone it will reach up to 8 feet in height, but Black Lace can also be pruned back each year to fit into more formal settings.