Black Lace

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Perhaps the coolest new plant ever developed this new Sambucus looks more like a Japanese maple or a Cimicifuga but a whole lot easier grow.

Just imagine what you could do with that lacy, intense purple-black foliage! The unique texture and color provide season long interest.

It gets even better. Massive clusters of pink flowers cover the plant in midsummer and emit a light lemon fragrance. What a contrast to the leaves!

Sambucus nigra 'Eva' pp 15,575

Share your experiences and make comments on this plant

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4-7, in zones 4 and colder it can behave like a perennial in and die back in the winter. Quickly grows to form a nice plant the following spring.

Bloom Time: Begins in late June

Bloom Color: Soft pink fading to white as they age. A lemony scent.

Foliage Color: Attractive, finely cut, dark purple-black

Fall Color: Remains the same color

Size: 6 to 8 feet high and wide with age. Can be easily maintained as a smaller plant or trained into a small tree

Exposure: Full sun for best foliage color

Soil: Best in moist soil although will tolerant. Dry soils. Thrives under acid or alkaline soils.

Pruning: In zones 4 and colder it can behave like a perennial in and die back in the winter. Simply cut cut back any dead branches, as you would with a perennial. It quickly grows to form a nice plant the following spring. In zones 5 and warmer it grows like a typical shrubs, although hard pruning every few years results in a fuller, bushier plant.

Forms its flower buds in later summer and then flowers in early June. The best time to prune is it after it blooms, from mid-June to mid-August. Cease pruning in mid-august to allow time for the flower buds to form prior to winter.

As a young plant it is best to prune or pinch your plant in order to build a full bodied, well branched plant. If the plant is leggy when you purchased it, shear the plant back hard by 1/3 to 1/2 its original size. Once it puts on an inch or two of growth, pinch the branch tips to remove just the growing tip. This tip controls branching. Once the tips are removed the buds below it will turn into stems. Once these new branches grow an inch or two, pinch the tip out again. You can repeat this throughout the first growing season as you are tending your garden. Although you will sacrifice one year of bloom, this technique results in a well branched, full bodied plant that will have more flowers in subsequent years. The second season in the ground, repeat the pinching practice (or lightly shear) up until mid-August. Cease pruning and pinching to allow the flower buds to set.

During the third and subsequence seasons, prune or pinch after flowering and up to bud set in mid-August. Do not be afraid to prune or shear your plant harder if you wish to maintain a shorter size.

Watering: Moist soils but becomes more drought tolerant with maturity.

Wildlife: Birds

Type: Deciduous

Fertilizing: Fertilize in early spring by applying a slow release fertilizer specialized for trees & shrubs. Follow the label for recommended rate of application.

Uses: Groupings or masses, perennial or shrub borders, specimen, screens, roadsides, naturalizing, near boggy or wet gardens.

Other: Fruit is edible and good for jellies, pies, juice and wine.

Breeders: Ken Tobutt and Jacqui Prevette of East Malling Research Station.

It was the talk of England’s Chelsea Garden Show, and it’s on its way to a garden center near you.

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.

It 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 hedge, or incorporated into the mixed or perennial border

Awards: ANLA-NMPro Best New plant 2006, Silver Medal Royal Boskoop Horticulture Society.

Sources : In a few select garden centers in 2006. National Release in 2007

This has got to be the best looking plant in my garden. I live in the UK, I planted this shrub in my garden in June 2005 when it was only 12cm in height it had tripled in size within a few months and distinctively looked like a Japanese maple but unlike the Japanese maple this looked stunning when the the wind blew the lacy leaves. Over winter it survived temperatures of -5 degrees. I cut back my black lace down to around 26cm in January by April, leaves began to emerge from the buds and in May it began a rapid growth it is now about 4ft by 2ft with beautiful pink flowers absolutely stunning I can't wait till the berries come as I have not seen this on my plant. whenever we have visitors everyone wants to know what it is and where did I get it from. I am so glad I planted it on a island bed in the middle of my garden as I can view its marvel from within my home it is definitely the centre piece in my garden It really makes my garden. Thank you for producing such a stunning shrub.

Lin Tseng, UK

I brought every one they had at xxx garden center and they are perfect for the place I put them.

Tim, NJ

MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO OUR LOCAL TREE/FLOWER NURSERY TODAY, J&L LANDSCAPING AND GARDEN CENTER AND FOUND SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING. MY HUSBAND IS A LANDSCAPER AND KNOWS A LOT ABOUT EVERY TYPE OF PLANT, TREE, SHRUB, WEED. YOU NAME IT HE KNOWS IT. I EVEN HEAR HIM TALKING ABOUT IT IN HIS SLEEP. WELL, WE WERE THERE TO GET A JAPANESE MAPLE TREE FOR A GIFT FOR HIS MOTHER. HE JUST PUT IN A BEAUTIFUL FISH POND IN HER YARD AND IT JUST WOULD NOT BE PERFECT WITH OUT A JAPANESE MAPLE HANGING OVER THE TOP. AS WE WERE WALKING THROW THE NURSERY, I SAID TO MY HUSBAND "CHECK THIS OUT" "WHAT IS IT"? HE SAID "I DON'T KNOW" WOW, YOU CAUGHT HIM IN A STUMP. HE DON'T KNOW!! WE LOOKED AT IT AND LOVED IT. THE BLACK LACE IS STUNNING. SO OF COARSE WE BOUGHT IT. IT LOOKS GREAT! WE CAN'T WAIT TO BUY ANOTHER FOR OUR YARD NOW. GREAT JOB.... THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL SHRUB.

JO-ANN, RHODE ISLAND

I've been looking for Sambucus nigra "Black Beauty" for my perennial garden for the last few years, but haven't had much luck either with local or online nurseries. Either they're too pricey or they've sold out. While browsing the local Lowe's recently, I found an unlabeled "Proven Winner" - the only one in the store - that looked like a Japanese maple, with greenish-purple finely cut foliage. The computer listed the plant only as "assorted shrubs". I used the SKU ticket to access your website and now I realize I have a Sambucus nigra "Black Lace". I can't wait to plant it and see how it grows. Thanks.

Ann, MA, zone 6

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