Elderberry Tree

Elderberry Bush for Sale: Native American Elderberry Plants for Berries and Wildlife

The elderberry bush (Sambucus canadensis), also called American elderberry, is a native fruiting shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet tall and wide in USDA zones 3–9. Elderberry plants thrive in full sun to partial shade and moist soil. TN Nursery ships bare-root elderberry plants, Buy 1 Get 1 Free, for a bigger berry harvest.

American elderberry belongs to the viburnum family, Viburnaceae (formerly placed in Adoxaceae), and many botanists now list it as Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis. The elderberry plant grows wild from Nova Scotia and Manitoba south to Florida and Texas, along woodland edges, fence rows, stream banks and wet meadows. Gardeners also call it common elderberry, American elder and elderflower.

• Botanical name: Sambucus canadensis (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis), viburnum family (Viburnaceae)
• Also called: American elderberry, common elderberry, American elder, elderflower
• Mature size: 6–12 feet tall and 6–12 feet wide
• Flowers: creamy white, 6- to 10-inch flat-topped clusters in June and July
• Berries: purple-black, about 1/4 inch, ripening in August and September
• Growth rate: fast; many plants fruit in their second summer
• What ships: bare-root plants in 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft and 3–4 ft sizes, as Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Buy 3 Get 2 Free or 25-plant wholesale bundles

Is Elderberry a Tree or a Bush?

Elderberry is a multi-stemmed shrub, or bush, that reaches 6 to 12 feet tall; it is often sold as an "elderberry tree" because a mature plant has the height of a small tree. An elderberry bush can be trained to a single trunk, but most growers keep several canes for the biggest berry crops.

New canes rise from the base each spring, so within two or three seasons one plant forms a rounded, fountain-shaped bush, ideal for an informal hedge, a backyard fruit row or a living screen.

What Can You Make With Elderberries?

Elderberries make rich, deep-purple jams, jellies, syrups, pies and homemade elderberry wine, and the fragrant elderflowers are used for cordials, teas and fritters. One established elderberry bush can yield several pounds of berries each summer.

Harvest whole flower clusters in June for elderflower recipes, or wait until late summer, when the berry clusters turn dark purple-black and droop with weight. Snip the entire cluster, then strip the berries from the stems with a fork.

Where Should You Plant an Elderberry Bush?

Plant an elderberry bush in full sun to partial shade, with at least 6 hours of sun for the best fruit, in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Elderberry plants thrive in damp spots, rain gardens and low areas where many fruit plants struggle, and they grow well in clay, loam or sandy soil.

Space elderberry plants 6 to 8 feet apart for a hedgerow, or 8 to 10 feet apart as individual bushes. Plant two or more elderberry bushes near each other; cross-pollination between plants gives larger clusters and heavier crops, which is why our Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer ships a pair.

What Wildlife Does an Elderberry Bush Attract?

An elderberry bush attracts native bees, butterflies and many songbirds, including bluebirds, cardinals, catbirds, robins, mockingbirds and cedar waxwings, which feast on the ripe berries. The dense canes also give birds safe nesting cover, and hollow older stems shelter stem-nesting native bees.

Spicebush and buttonbush share the same moist soil, and winterberry holly adds red berries for birds in winter. Purple coneflower blooms at the same time as elderberry and draws even more butterflies. For a mixed fruit patch, add a black raspberry bush. Explore more choices in our fruit and berry plants and pollinator plants collections.

Elderberry Bush, Seedlings or Live Stakes: Which Should You Buy?

Choose this elderberry bush for a backyard berry harvest, a garden hedge or a focal shrub; choose elderberry seedlings or live stakes for large plantings.

Planting a long hedgerow, a farm wildlife corridor or a conservation project? Our elderberry seedlings are priced for bulk planting by the dozen or the hundred. Stabilizing a creek bank or pond edge? Elderberry live stakes are dormant cuttings that root right where you push them into moist soil.

How Do You Plant a Bare-Root Elderberry Plant?

Plant a bare-root elderberry plant while it is dormant, from November through April, at the same depth it grew in the nursery, and water deeply right after planting. Keep the soil evenly moist through the first summer while the shallow, fibrous roots spread.

At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we dig elderberry plants during dormancy and pack the roots in moist material, so each plant arrives as a leafless, ready-to-plant cane with a healthy root system.

1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root spread and as deep as the roots.
3. Set the plant at its original soil line and spread the roots outward.
4. Backfill with native soil, firm gently and water until the soil is soaked.
5. Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch over the root zone to hold moisture.
6. Each late winter after the first year, cut out canes older than 3 years to make room for vigorous new fruiting canes.

Planting & Growing Information

Botanical Name: Sambucus canadensis (S. nigra subsp. canadensis)
Plant Family: Viburnaceae (viburnum family)
Ships: Bare root, 1–2 ft, 2–3 ft or 3–4 ft
Planting Zone: 3–9
Height at Maturity: 6–12 feet
Spread: 6–12 feet
Spacing: 6–8 feet for a hedgerow
Sun or Shade: Full sun to partial shade; 6+ hours of sun for the best fruit
Water Needs: Moderate to high; thrives in moist soil
Soil: Rich, moist clay, loam or sand
Bloom Season: Early summer (June–July)
Fruit: Purple-black berries, August–September
Native Range: Eastern and central North America
Care: Keep the soil moist the first summer. Prune canes older than 3 years in late winter.
Plant Attributes: Native fruiting shrub, big white flower clusters, berries for jams and syrups, feeds birds and pollinators, thrives in moist soil

Elderberry Bush FAQ

How big do elderberry bushes get?

Elderberry bushes grow 6 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide, forming a rounded, multi-stemmed shrub.

When do elderberry bushes bloom and when are the berries ripe?

Elderberry bushes bloom in June and July, and the purple-black berries ripen in August and September.

How fast does an elderberry plant grow?

An elderberry plant grows fast, often several feet in a single season, and many elderberry plants produce their first berries in the second summer after planting.

Do you need two elderberry bushes to get berries?

Planting two or more elderberry bushes near each other gives the best results, because cross-pollination produces larger berry clusters and heavier harvests.

When should you prune an elderberry bush?

Prune an elderberry bush in late winter, while it is dormant, by removing canes older than 3 years and any weak or crossing canes.

Grown and Shipped by TN Nursery

TN Nursery has grown hardy native plants since 1959, more than 65 years of experience, and has supplied plants to major U.S. landmarks like the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery. At our Altamont, Tennessee nursery, we grow, dig and ship native elderberry plants bare root to gardens, homesteads and farms across the country. Want to learn more first? Read About Elderberry Trees, 5 Native Berry Plants to Attract Birds to Your Yard and How Do You Plant a Berry Bush? on our garden blog.