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Black Lace Elders
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Posted by shadow_Z3 z3 MB (My Page) on Sat, Oct 1, 05 at 21:28
I was wondering if anyone has seen a black lace elder. I'm not sure if it is in Canada yet. I already have elders, but as the black lace is the closest thing we can get to a purple Japanese Maple (zone 3) I thought I would check them out. I know that they are available in Britain, but maybe not in Canada yet?
Thanks, Shadow. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Black Lace Elders
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Hi Shadow,
You might also consider: Malus 'Radiant Crab' (link below) There are also several purple-leaved Birches that are hardy in your zone. Beware of borers however.
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/bepep.htm Dax |
Here is a link that might be useful: McIntyre's Garden Center
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Here's a couple of pictures of mine - it's only little, about a foot high and still in a gallon pot but very attractive and I did get it in England. 
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RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Thx Dax for the input and Z8 for the great pics! Shadow |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| 'Black Lace' available wholesale through Spring Meadow Nursery in Michigan as part of the "proven Winners" brand.. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I think this one will be widely available in 2006. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I have some Black Beauties which I got this fall so they are still small-- I assume very similar. Can someone tell me what the SHAPE of a full grown shrub is-- upright, vertical, rounded, or... ? somewhere I read "arching" which seemed kind of odd. I haven't been able to find a picture of a fully grown plant anywhere on the web-- just a pic of a small specimen about 2 or 3 feet in a pot. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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If 'arching' for your BB would means the same habit as for my 'Sutherland Gold' then it would means that stems will grow straight up from the base to 4-7' and start arching down from that point. Total lenghts of individual stem could be 6-12', but due to the 'arching' effect visualy shrub is "only" 7-8' tall and equaly wide. For the best yellow/gold color effect I have to prune it second time in July and it regrow all lost height plus more in no time. If not a second pruning I think it would be a 10x10' easy.
However, in z4 it most likely will be killed to the ground every year and will not attain such proportions since it has to grow all new stems from the base. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Anyone with Black Lace Elder interested in an exchange? Email me, thanks |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I am also considering black lace elder but am new to gardening. can anyone tell me: how fast do they grow? how well do they tolerate full sun from 11 am - 3 pm? I am looking for shrubs that will grow rather quickly. I have an area of clay soil that retains water as well as an area that is all topsoil that drains well. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Shadow, Black Lace elder is sambucus nigra 'black lace'. I have another sambucus nigra cultivar and agree that while it survives here, it usually dies back to about the snow line. Not really sure how much it grows back in a single season as I haven't had mine that long (once it gets more established it might put out more growth in a season). I couldn't find Black Lace, but if you want Black Beauty, it's in Dominion Seed House's catalogue and you can order online. They are located in Georgetown, Ontario. www.dominion-seed-house.com Last year I ordered the Sutherland gold from them. It's supposedly hardier and is called sambucus racemosa 'sutherland gold'. I believe sambucus racemosa is hardier than sambucus nigra. We will see how it survived winter. Glen Glen |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I bought a Black Lace from White Flower Farm this spring. It came in a 3 Liter container and was about and inch high. It is now July and has put on over three feet of beatiful black growth in three months. Run, don't walk to find this gorgeous plant. I have it in a spot that gets only four hours (11-3pm) of direct sunlight. My only regret is that I didn't buy more!!!!! |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| You don't need to buy more - just take some hardwood cuttings this autumn and you'll have plenty more next year! |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Thanks Ornata, I may do just that!!!!! I forgot to mention, this shrub looks amazing underplanted with Hakonechloa Aureola! |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Hey Tobalina...you didn't happen to take some cuttings you wouldn't mind sharing. :) |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Black Lace was widely available this year around here. Maybe I'm wrong but I think their reception was lukewarm at the nurseries. Most looked like bare sticks with some tufts of leaves. Quite a few were around for the end of season sales where I found mine for $9.99. I was tempted to pick up the whole lot of them for that price. As gawky as mine is, the leaves still looked great against most anything else. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| Widely available around here too. I even passed on it when I first saw it in a garden center even though I had thought previously it was a "must have". It was sooooooo dark, I was unsure of what I would do with it. I later got one on sale and found a good spot for it -- near some variegated iris. I usually don't like such dramatic combo's, but I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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- Posted by ornata London UK (8/9?) (My Page) on
Thu, Dec 7, 06 at 5:24
| If you're just growing it for the foliage, hard pruning every year should prevent that "gawky" look. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I do intend to cut it back next spring but I have to say my other Sambucus nigra - Pulverulenta - grows into an octopus some years even after a good chop. I am thinking of trying to pillar it. Just another project I never get to. Maybe because I spend too much time on GW when I should be doing something else... |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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- Posted by ornata London UK (8/9?) (My Page) on
Mon, Dec 11, 06 at 7:13
| Wow, you're lucky. My 'Pulverulenta' was purchased as a tiny, pot-bound cutting-raised plant a year and a half ago. It hasn't grown an inch since I put it in the ground! I'm amazed it's still alive, especially since we had a bad drought this summer. Hopefully next year it'll actually grow more than two tiny leaves. And yes, maybe I was being a bit optimistic, assuming that one hard prune at the beginning of the growing season will miraculously turn 'Black Lace' into a bushy shrub. Maybe it needs to be pruned again when actively growing? I'm going to experiment next year with one of mine to see if I can get it to look more like the ones pictured in those hyperbolic "Amazing New(ish) Plants That You Can't Live Without" websites. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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ornata,
I don't think my Pulverulenta had much vigor until the third year. Also, the variegation might disappear some seasons for a while. However, it comes back again. Don't start pruning out all the green leaves, thinking it has reverted. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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- Posted by ornata London UK (8/9?) (My Page) on
Fri, Dec 15, 06 at 8:29
| Thanks for the encouragement (although at the moment I can't imagine the poor thing ever having enough leaves to warrant any kind of pruning!) |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| I picked up one of these two years ago and ended up moving it to the back bush (where all my disappointments go!). The leaf colour was not black but rather more green with black tinges? It certainly didn't look like the pictures (it was in full sun). Anyone else have this problem? Maybe it was mislabelled or reverted? |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| So far, mine is black but I had it for less than a season. What about the new growth, is that black? |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| nope, just what I would call a dark green with black overtones. Almost like looking at a leaf through smokey glass. Very weird. Perhaps I'll check some others out at the garden centre this year as the pictures sure look lovely. I do have Sambucus "Sutherlands Gold" and it is absolutely fantastic. I have the mixed with some purple sandcherries and am very happy |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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Just came across this 'old' posting but thought I'd add my experience with Black Lace Elder. I got some cuttings from a friend who owns a garden centre. This was early summer and I potted them up. They all grew thick roots coming out of the pot within a couple of weeks and are now growing great. Most literature I've read recommends cutting them back to the ground every spring.
I also got some cuttings of another type of Black Elder which are also growing well in my 'nursery spot' in the garden, although they have light green leaves as yet. I'm hoping they'll eventually turn dark.
Black Lace Elder are available in Canada now but are expensive, considering how easily cuttings take. So, if you get the chance of a cutting, grab it, although the plants will probably be a lot cheaper next year. |
RE: Black Lace Elders
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| If you want flowers on Black Lace, do not cut them back in the spring. Black Elder flowers in late-may or early June, so prune them right after flowering. I cut ine back real hard, removing about 3/4 of the plant because I want to maintain it as a smaller shrub. Also - as a young plant elderberry benefits from a lot of pinching to build a good body. |
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