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Fri, May 27, 11 at 14:15
| Hello all.I live in UK and wondered if anyone has grown Sambucus 'Eva'(Black Lace)into tree form,ie single stem.
I notice that in some parts,people have to watch when they prune so as to leave time for setting flower buds.I do not have this problem as it always flowers on new growth,growth which was entirely non-existent before.Therefore I think we can treat this plant in much the same way as we treat Buddleia,cut it right down each year but still get flowers. I have heard it's possible and would like to grow this as a single stem plant. Do you think it is possible,considering it's very vigorous growth?and it is fast growing here. Would I quickly end up with a sky-scraper if I trained it up? or would cutting it back each year to the same stem,increasing the height on this stem gradually be the way to go? Also to keep flowers on the 'branches' I choose to leave,would this mean I'd end up with an ultra wide plant as the flowers seem to appear on new growth? I'm guessing that maybe a tree form is only possible if I'm willing to have a giant of a plant,but hoping some-one out there has had a go at this...thanks in advance for any thoughts. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Fri, May 27, 11 at 18:31
| Yes, it can be trained into a standard or tree form. It is sometime even sold that way already :-) Annually trimming or shearing back the top growth after flowering will keep it at a mangeable size while still promoting flowering (it actually acts as a die-back perennial in colder climates). In fact, many sources recommend hard pruning sambucus every few years just to keep the plant vigorous, so it's hard to consider what damage, if any, a light annual pruning would cause. |
Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down to 'Garden Uses & Care ' to read about training
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| Oh hello Gardengal,if I'd known you were on this forum also,I'd have come straight to you if you didn't mind:) Thanks for the info and link,this is good news. If you get time to have a look(absolutely no hurry)I've put link to a pic.just to give you an idea....the plant's currently about 4'x4'.The stem in the middle is pretty upright but there's also a very nice straight stem,just as tall (out of sight) which seems to be all this years growth....which would be better to use in your opinion? Bearing in mind it was only a 16'' single stick about a thick as a Biro at the beginning of last year,do you think I could remove all the other stems in one go after flowering,(it's very vigorous)or would it be too much stress? Sorry to fire all these questions at you but I've only ever chopped back plants to increase branching/foliage at the beginning of year. Thanks so much for your time GG |
Here is a link that might be useful: sambucus
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Sat, May 28, 11 at 20:05
| It's a little tricky to judge size from the photo but estimating based on the Lychnis in front of it, I'd say it was a still a bit too small to do any serious pruning now. What I would consider doing is staking the primary stem to ensure it develops vertically. Next season, you can prune off the lowest set of branches. Repeat in following seasons until the trunk thickens and you are approaching a height you like. You can trim back or shorten branches in the meantime to encourage additional budding and to make sure these branches don't get too long and floppy with respect to the rest of the plant. You may see some sprouting developing lower on the 'trunk', which you will want to remove. Also any shoots or new cane growth that might emerge from the root crown. The important thing to remember that training any shrub into a tree-like form is a process that requires patience and a lot of time :-) These don't just happen in a single growing season, which is why one tends to pay a premium for them when encountered already trained as a tree at the nursery or garden center -- you are paying for the grower's time and hands-on work to get it to that point. |
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| Oh thanks GG,no-one goes into such detail elsewhere on the web.Ha ha,well spotted re:Rose Campion,my dad hates them as they're too bright to go with anything and spring up everywhere. You're right about extra canes sprouting from base,I have many and as I said one is thick and 4' tall already this season. I'm looking forward to doing this little project over the years,thanks again so much for your detailed advice and of course your time GG. |
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| Nice healthy looking shrubs, houzi. I noticed a green alkanet just behind the Lychnis coronaria. I'd get that out asap as they seed around and produce a nasty itchy rash, on me at least. The minute bristles get stuck in your skin. So wear gloves to weed it out. |
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| Oh thanks for your concern Flora,yes those damn things are everywhere.I remember my mum deliberately planting them when I was young at her home,they were quite rarely seen here then. They're just one of many plants that seem to spring up all over the place here,Centranthus is another though the butterflies love them.They got quite out of hand in my front garden so I put weed killer on them....biggest mistake ever!...it was so embarrasing as they gave off a smell like raw sewage..people walking past must have thought....well I don't know?? Another plant which has recently appeared from nowhere is Euphorbia lathyris,took me ages to find out what it was.It's intriguing how it arranges it's leaves so uniformly symetrical in that cruciform pattern.Wonder what a whole box of them would look like if neatly arranged and lined up ha ha. |
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| Regarding the Sambucus photo,you may have noticed the two 10ft Ilex bushes behind.Now I've had these since 1ft babies and they have never failed to produce both flowers and berries in copious amounts.However I was always led to believe you needed a male plant nearby to do this.Have I been extremely lucky as I have no idea where there is another one? |
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| There might be other Ilex aquifoliums around somewhere that you haven't noticed. I've read it can be up to 200 metres but I don't know if that's accurate. So they could be several gardens away. |
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| Yes I guess that's the only explanation,I'm just surprised (and pleased )that they've always produced so well. Often see sparrows inside these shrubs,busily pecking away at insects I presumed.Watched them the other day,they were actually surgically removing leaves and flying off with them.I always thought birds just picked up old dead leaves and twigs for nests....learn something every day:) |
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