Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Height at Maturity: 5-12 Feet
Usage: Fruiting
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-9
Product Details
Our elderberry seedlings are American black elderberry, Sambucus canadensis, also sold as black American elderberry. They ship bare root in 6-12 inch, 12-18 inch and 6-24 inch row-run grades, in bundles of 100, 500 and 1,000. Commercial berry growers, farm-to-table producers, conservation districts and wildlife managers order them for orchard rows, hedgerows and streambank plantings. Elderberry is one of TN Nursery's best-selling plants.
Why Growers Plant Elderberry
Demand for elderberry syrup, jelly, wine and extracts has made it a fast-growing specialty crop. American elderberry is a native shrub that establishes quickly, often fruits in its second or third summer, and produces heavy clusters of purple-black berries that are cooked or processed into finished products. For producers, that means a short path from planting to first harvest.
Elderberry Specs
- Botanical name: Sambucus canadensis (syn. S. nigra subsp. canadensis)
- Type: Native multi-stem deciduous shrub
- Zones: USDA 3 to 9
- Mature size: 5 to 12 feet tall and wide
- Light: Full sun to part shade (heaviest fruit in full sun)
- Soil: Moist to average; clay, loam and sand
- Flowers: Flat creamy-white clusters in early summer
- Fruit: Purple-black berries, late summer
Conservation and Wildlife Plantings
Elderberry is a staple in riparian buffers and field-edge hedgerows. It thrives in moist ground along streams, and its spreading habit forms dense cover that stabilizes banks. Flowers support native pollinators, berries feed songbirds, and the thicket provides nesting and escape cover for quail and other wildlife. It is a common soft-mast companion to oak plantings on hunting land.
Row and Hedgerow Planning
| Bundle | Row length at 5 ft spacing |
|---|---|
| 100 seedlings | About 500 feet |
| 500 seedlings | About 2,500 feet |
| 1,000 seedlings | About 5,000 feet |
Berry growers commonly space plants 4 to 6 feet apart in rows 10 to 12 feet apart for equipment access. Hedgerows and screens can go tighter at 3 to 4 feet.
Plant With
Pair elderberry with persimmon and Chickasaw plum for a soft-mast wildlife planting, or with hazel alder and sycamore on streambanks. Our guide on elderberry as a summer privacy border shows it in a landscape setting.
Elderberry Seedling FAQs
How long until elderberry seedlings produce fruit?
American elderberry often produces its first berries in the second or third growing season after planting.
What is the difference between American and European elderberry?
American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is native to eastern North America and is a multi-stem shrub. European elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is native to Europe and grows larger and more tree-like.
How far apart should elderberry be planted?
Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart in rows for berry production, or 3 to 4 feet apart for a dense hedgerow.
Does elderberry grow in wet soil?
Yes. Elderberry thrives in moist soil and is widely planted along streams, ponds and drainage ways.
When do elderberry seedlings ship?
Elderberry seedlings ship dormant in November.
From Our Farm to Your Project
Tennessee Wholesale Nursery is the wholesale arm of TN Nursery, a family operation founded by Roscoe Tate in 1959 and farming 170 acres in Altamont, Tennessee. We have supplied plants for Arlington National Cemetery and the Washington Monument grounds. Elderberry seedlings are lifted fresh, treated with hydrogel and sealed for shipping, and they arrive under our Arrive Alive guarantee. For 500 or more plants, request a wholesale quote, or browse all bulk tree seedlings.