Elderberry 'Lemony Lace'
Sambucus racemosa 'Lemony Lace' ·
Thread-fine, deeply cut, golden leaves with red new growth form a shaggy, glowing mound. White flowers in spring are followed by red berries.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around elderberry 'Lemony Lace'
The planner designed this bed around elderberry 'Lemony Lace' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 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 'Lemony Lace' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Elderberry 'Lemony Lace' × 1, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 13, blue
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 39, yellow
- 4 Sneezeweed × 4, orange
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 6 Purple milkweed × 5, purple
- 7 Winter heath 'Kramer's Red' × 5, pink
- 8 Summer snowflake × 5, white
- 9 Hyacinth × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath 'Kramer's Red'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 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 sneezeweed (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
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 11 groups (82%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is planted in 10 places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Early colour comes from bulbs planted between the other plants: summer snowflake and hyacinth.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where elderberry 'Lemony Lace' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A mound of gold thread. It is very hardy, but the leaves burn in hot afternoon sun; give it morning sun only where summers are hot.
- Gold, lacy foliage
- Brightening part shade
- Cold climates
What to plant with elderberry 'Lemony Lace'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': adds the flowers, early June to early October; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lady's mantle: adds the flowers, late May to early July; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about elderberry 'Lemony Lace'
Does elderberry 'Lemony Lace' need sun or shade?
Elderberry 'Lemony Lace' 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, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does elderberry 'Lemony Lace' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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.
How far apart should elderberry 'Lemony Lace' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many elderberry 'Lemony Lace' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is elderberry 'Lemony Lace' 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 'Lemony Lace'?
These come closest to doing what elderberry 'Lemony Lace' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Dappled willow: the same job in a bed; 12 in taller, 12 in wider.
- Dwarf Hinoki cypress: the same job in a bed; 12 in narrower, keeps its leaves in winter.
- Dwarf Japanese cedar: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 8 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does elderberry 'Lemony Lace' look like in winter?
Elderberry 'Lemony Lace' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
More Sambucus
- American elderberry Sambucus canadensis
- Elderberry 'Black Beauty' Sambucus nigra 'Gerda' (Black Beauty)
- Elderberry 'Black Lace' Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; chartreuse
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.