Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I recently relocated a two year old Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' to give it more room to grow. The leaves immediately wilted and appear to be dying back. I'd like to think it's just in shock and will recover on its own. Has anyone experienced this and, if so, what were the results? I'm hesitant to prune it back, but am willing to try whatever may work.
Thanks for your input.
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!
When I thought you still had no help, I was going to suggest pruning too. I have a native, not that beauty, but it grows well from the base and they are more common here in streamsides and ditches- wet places.
I am meaning to prune mine because the leaves all have browning edges and from a remark hart made- I wonder if its a fungus or disease--the big one in the next yard has none of it on the leaves..
bmoyer, I've lost several shrubs after transplanting. Now, whenever I transplant, or plant new shrubs, I spray the entire plant with Wilt-Pruf. Haven't lost one since. I'm going to spray all of the shrubs with it this year to winterize them.
Thank you all for your input and encouragement. I will take your advise and give it a good pruning!
