How to find & plant and elderflower

[Marie2020]

The season to pick elderflower to make cordial is over here. But is it possible to find this shrub or tree take a cutting to grow? Plus contain it, so it doesn't take over my garden.
I just love the taste of elderflower cordial.

 

[digitS']

I wish that I had an answer for you, Marie.

We have wild elderberry bushes here. The bush likes to grow against the cliffs along the edges of the valley where it gets a little more soil moisture.

I made some fairly good wine from elderberry once. That was back in my wine and beer making days.

Steve

 

[Marie2020]

I wish that I had an answer for you, Marie.

We have wild elderberry bushes here. The bush likes to grow against the cliffs along the edges of the valley where it gets a little more soil moisture.

I made some fairly good wine from elderberry once. That was back in my wine and beer making days.

Steve

Thanks for replying. Hopefully someone will have and answer soon. I would have loved to have tasted that wine of yours

 

[Marie2020]

@digitS' . You have helped me to understand the best place to plant the elderflower, it's best in a rocky position near water , so now I'll move my blueberry from my makeshift rockery and chop back the hedging tree that has invaded my garden.
Will have a look to see if I can buy an elderflower plant. Thanks

 

[flowerbug]

blueberry would like acidic soil and plenty of sunshine and fairly consistent water supply. as a kid we had fields of them behind where we lived. the short kind. still very good to eat. moving there at the age of four was a good thing, but i was a bit upset by the move at such an age. there was a central cupboard in the kitchen where Mom kept her pans underneath and i took up residence in there for a while. Mom asked some psychologist about it because she was concerned but he told her "He'll come out eventually." good thing i did or i'd still be there now...

i don't have any experience with elderberry/elderflower - i don't think i've ever tasted it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My experience with the elderberry shrub or bush is with it growing wild. If you clean out a fence row or clear some land it's often one of the first bushes to grow. It's one of the first wild bushes or trees I learned to recognize because I'd use the hollow branches to make a pop gun. The elder would be the barrel and I'd use dogwood or privet as the plunger.

The elderberry plant I'm talking about is the one native to the US. It's always possible your plant is a different variety which might behave a little differently. But I'd expect them to be really similar.

I have never tried growing it in a garden or lawn setting so no real experience with that. I don't know how fast it spreads. I've never tried propogating it from seeds or cuttings. The way it would pop up I'd think the birds are pretty efficient at scattering the seeds. I did a little reading online, supposedly it isn't that hard to root from cuttings, but they said to use a "green growth". I suspect that is because it is hollow once the wood "matures" so you want it before it becomes hollow.

From reading they said it spreads by suckering up from the roots. If you find a place that it is allowed, you should be able to dig up one of those suckers to start your own plant. You will probably need permission for that. There may be one or two unscrupulous scoundrels on this forum that have taken fruit for seed or maybe even cut off a branch for rooting without permission. Of course I'd never promote anything even slightly illegal or unethical.

 

[digitS']

Elderberry leaves can be used as a poultice.

(That's poultice not politics, Spellchequer!)

Anyway, who can deny someone health care? Take the whole branch ...

Steve

 

[baymule]

We pick the wild elderberries here. I'm keeping an eye on them, they are still green. Yes, you can take cuttings of the "green wood", that would be the ends of the branches. Make sure to include the nodules where the leaves grow out from, that is where the roots will grow from. If there is any willow near to you, you can make your own rooting hormones with willow cuttings. The green wood is best, but the woodier parts of the branch will work too. Cut in 1/2" pieces and cover with water, let it soak for 3-6 days. Use the water to root your elder cuttings. Plant them when they start showing roots, make more willow water to water the cuttings with.

Elderberry syrup is good for warding off and fighting the flu.

Elderberry syrup

Actually, it is a syrup with Elderberries. Some make it with sugar. But it is most effective if it is made with raw, unfiltered, local honey and fresh ginger. There is something in the elderberries, that prevents the virus from replicating.

I have been making it for a few years now.

1 cup dried Elderberries, if fresh, 1 1/2 cups
1-1/2 inches peeled, fresh, ginger
24 oz (by weight) Raw, unfiltered, Local Honey
Approx. 4-1/2 to 5 cups water

I simmer dried elderberries and sliced ginger in water, for 20 minutes, and cool to room temperature. Next I use a spoon and a screen sieve, to separate the pulp from the seeds & mash the ginger, occasionally rinsing with water. Reserve this water to use in the syrup. One final rinse, to make sure the seeds are rinsed. Then I add the honey, stirring to make it dissolve. I store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

When flu season starts, we start taking an ounce a day, to prevent the flu. If I start to get a sore throat, I increase to one ounce three times a day, and continue until several days after I start feeling well.

 

[Marie2020]

We pick the wild elderberries here. I'm keeping an eye on them, they are still green. Yes, you can take cuttings of the "green wood", that would be the ends of the branches. Make sure to include the nodules where the leaves grow out from, that is where the roots will grow from. If there is any willow near to you, you can make your own rooting hormones with willow cuttings. The green wood is best, but the woodier parts of the branch will work too. Cut in 1/2" pieces and cover with water, let it soak for 3-6 days. Use the water to root your elder cuttings. Plant them when they start showing roots, make more willow water to water the cuttings with.

Elderberry syrup is good for warding off and fighting the flu.

Elderberry syrup

Actually, it is a syrup with Elderberries. Some make it with sugar. But it is most effective if it is made with raw, unfiltered, local honey and fresh ginger. There is something in the elderberries, that prevents the virus from replicating.

I have been making it for a few years now.

1 cup dried Elderberries, if fresh, 1 1/2 cups
1-1/2 inches peeled, fresh, ginger
24 oz (by weight) Raw, unfiltered, Local Honey
Approx. 4-1/2 to 5 cups water

I simmer dried elderberries and sliced ginger in water, for 20 minutes, and cool to room temperature. Next I use a spoon and a screen sieve, to separate the pulp from the seeds & mash the ginger, occasionally rinsing with water. Reserve this water to use in the syrup. One final rinse, to make sure the seeds are rinsed. Then I add the honey, stirring to make it dissolve. I store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

When flu season starts, we start taking an ounce a day, to prevent the flu. If I start to get a sore throat, I increase to one ounce three times a day, and continue until several days after I start feeling well.

Wow, such great info thanks so much. I'm keeping this close to me.

The flowers smell like pee right now because they are dying off. I hope I've found the right plant. I will try to get a picture in here at some point, that will take me ages, the last time I tried to post a clip I must have given @digitS' a migraine.

 

[Marie2020]

Elderberry leaves can be used as a poultice.

(That's poultice not politics, Spellchequer!)

Anyway, who can deny someone health care? Take the whole branch ...

Steve

The poultice is really interesting to me, I will be looking this up.
I found a fascinating lesson on YouTube about various herbs & wild flowers . I intend to thoroughly study this subject and really want to make a comphrey poultice asap.
All in good time, I have to learn how to use this internet first.