Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Failing Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace', 0 by rcn48

rcn48 wrote:
bmoyer, it's quite possible it will recover but the best thing you can do for it right now is prune it back hard and I do mean 'hard' - down to 6"-8"! Also make sure it gets plenty of water as they're a pretty thirsty plant when first planted (or transplanted). After they're established however, I've found them to be very drought tolerant. After a second summer of severe drought our 3 year old plant has really been 'tested' and has come through with flying colors. At this time of the year you want the plant to concentrate on establishing roots before winter sets in. With all those tall branches the hard pruning will force the plant to send out new roots instead of trying to support all the foliage which is obviously suffering from the transplant. You might get a new flush of fresh foliage before frosts but you need to concentrate on roots instead of foliage right now. These plants tend to get huge in just one growing season and a lot of people prune them hard right after flowering to keep the plant more compact. We whack ours back every once in a while in early summer to control some of the longer branches and will continue to do so to maintain its form. Good luck and keep us informed on how your Black Lace is doing!