Berry-producing shrubs

Muddy1 what book, please do share.... I miss my trees from up north, I do love the palms but now that I know the palmetto bugs love them to, I'm not so in love with them anymore....LOL

It's the Time Life Complete Guide to Gardening and Landscaping.
You should be able to find books specific to your area, probably at the library, but I pull this book out for many reasons. It's sometimes easier than googling.

Can anyone tell me how tall and wide Sambucus canadensis shrubs (the species, not a cultivar) eventually get?

I know the size printed on tags is generally the size after 10 years, and everything keeps growing.. so real-life experiences will be much appreciated.

This message was edited Dec 21, 2013 1:58 PM

You can peruse a variety of sources, and many are going to list 4 - 12 feet - because Elderberry is native over such a huge area of North America. In xeric zones, it will likely fit the shorter range. In mesic to hydric areas- natch - it'll be bigger.

Horticultural texts also note that it gets larger in quality growing regimes. I have it growing here at the Valley, and in the wet drainage area it is in the 12-15 feet tall range. I can go cut some stems down, if you need proof. Alongside my deck near a downspout, it is equally as large - when I haven't whacked it back. Width will depend on obstacles. The patch in the drainage area is probably 50 feet across. Birds love all the fruit produced therein.

Since this is a colonizing plant, put it in the ground and get out of the way. It isn't going to have trouble growing if you indeed expect to be irrigating/fertilizing.

Thanks, VV...nope, I don't need any proof, so don't cut down stems on my account. Now, if Mipii or others want cuttings and they'll root, then by all means do so!

I have to ask - have you made Elderberry wine?

I transplanted my 2 Elderberries today, and they are there to stay. In the end, the decision about where to plant them had more to do with where I could dig the best holes rather than what the ideal spacing was. I was surprised to see how much the roots had grown since May, and I'm glad to hear that the little suckers will grow quickly!

In our area, we start to hit some kind of white substance, maybe limestone, after digging through 18 inches of clay and rocks. Clay has its distinct disadvantages, but it does help retain water, so I left enough to help keep the Elderberries in moist soil.

No, it wasn't Freudian. The wording seemed perfect, and the fact that there was a double meaning was just icing on the cake.

Muddy1

I am a book lover, and there are times that it is wonderful to just sit with a book in my lap. Thanks for the title.

Jan

Meadowyck, I realize I only gave you half an answer. A paperback book that I found equally useful when first looking for shrubs for my area was Ortho's All About Shrubs and Hedges. Our Home Depot carries the Ortho series.

I really recommend regionally-focused gardening books, though. For example, my favorite book of all, which covers the Mid-Atlantic region, was published by The Washington Post.



This message was edited Dec 22, 2013 10:43 AM

Oh the Washington Post, I use to read that everyday when I lived and worked in VA. I've lived in a lot of states, and VA comes second to my beloved FL, with KY bringing up the rear.

I've gotten several FL books on trees, shrubs, and native plants for my area and they are good, I'm just interested in all kinds of books regarding these items even when they aren't about where I live.

An excellent book that I recommend is the Pictorial Library of landscape plants, first edition written by M. Jane Coleman Helmer, Ph.D. and second edition revised and edited by John L. Threlkeld. This is a rather large book in overall size, with incredible full color pictures. I don't know if folks can find it in their libraries or if maybe they can get it as an interlibrary loan system, but if you can find it, grab it. I just did a quick search for this on Amazon, they don't have it listed but they did have titles that were close and had them by location in the country. I was lucky to pick it up at a school book sale at the horticulture school I attended for a while.

Then there is my tree bible The shrub identification book, the visual method for the practical identication of shrubs, including woody vines and ground covers by George W D Symonds. Excellent for taking a twig that has at least one leaf on it and IDing the plant it came from. To me these two are the foundation of my gardening books.

Jan