Elderberry 'Black Beauty'
Sambucus nigra 'Gerda' (Black Beauty) · Viburnaceae
Broad, dark purple-black leaves all season, with flat heads of lemon-scented, pink flowers in early summer and black berries.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early June to late June
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around elderberry 'Black Beauty'
The planner designed this bed around elderberry 'Black Beauty' when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why elderberry 'Black Beauty' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Elderberry 'Black Beauty' × 1, pink
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 10, pink
- 3 Winter heath × 14, white
- 4 Golden Japanese euonymus × 1, variegated leaves
- 5 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 3, tan
- 6 Swamp milkweed × 4, pink
- 7 Purple milkweed × 3, purple
- 8 Speedwell 'Royal Candles' × 11, blue
- 9 Nodding onion × 27, pink
- 10 Horned violet × 24, yellow
- 11 Easter lily × 6, white
- 12 Crown imperial × 6, orange
- 13 Daffodil × 7, yellow
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to swamp milkweed (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early June to late June.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least three other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
Planned as an English border: 21 of the 24 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 53% of the visual weight and the right half 47%. The most in flower at one time is 6 kinds, from late June.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where elderberry 'Black Beauty' goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The bold-leaved partner of the lacy 'Black Lace'. Cut it to the ground each spring for the biggest, darkest leaves, or leave it to flower.
- Dark foliage at the back
- Contrast with gold and silver
- Flowers and berries
What to plant with elderberry 'Black Beauty'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Spirea 'Ogon': flowers first, early April to late April, so the spot is never empty; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Garden phlox: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid July; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (3½ ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about elderberry 'Black Beauty'
Does elderberry 'Black Beauty' need sun or shade?
Elderberry 'Black Beauty' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does elderberry 'Black Beauty' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does elderberry 'Black Beauty' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to late June. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid June to early July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 6 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 7 | Late May to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should elderberry 'Black Beauty' be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many elderberry 'Black Beauty' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is elderberry 'Black Beauty' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The leaves, stems, roots and unripe berries are poisonous if eaten. The ripe berries are safe once cooked.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like elderberry 'Black Beauty'?
These come closest to doing what elderberry 'Black Beauty' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 20 in taller, flowers early November to late December.
- Redleaf rose: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 20 in shorter, 24 in narrower.
- Bodinier's beautyberry 'Profusion': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers mid July to early August, medium leaves, not bold.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat elderberry 'Black Beauty'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after elderberry 'Black Beauty'?
Elderberry 'Black Beauty' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does elderberry 'Black Beauty' look like in winter?
Elderberry 'Black Beauty' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is elderberry 'Black Beauty' good for bees and butterflies?
Elderberry 'Black Beauty' is visited by butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Sambucus
- American elderberry Sambucus canadensis
- Elderberry 'Black Lace' Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'
- Elderberry 'Lemony Lace' Sambucus racemosa 'Lemony Lace'
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7
In flower in: June
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early June to late June; flat plates; pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, deciduous; purple, black
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Viburnaceae
- Comes from
- Europe
- Attracts
- Butterflies, songbirds
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.