Elderberry shrubs never healthy in my yard - Ask Extension
Hi, I am normally very good with native plants, but have had trouble with my elderberries for 25 years. I just never had the heart to remove them and ...
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Elderberry shrubs never healthy in my yard #717513
Asked August 25, 2020, 4:23 PM EDT
Hi,
I am normally very good with native plants, but have had trouble with my elderberries for 25 years. I just never had the heart to remove them and thought whatever was not right would eventually change. I made sure they were the native species, but back then I might not have noticed that they were a variety. They are planted on a berm with partial sun near Engelmann spruce and aspen. They are facing northeast and the sun varies between the 3 shrubs I have. One is beside a golden currant - the currant does fantastic, but the elderberry doesn't. All 3 of them start out in the spring looking fairly decent, but by the time the flowers start to bloom, the leaves have begun to wither. The leaves coil up and the whole shrub never looks right. Everything else on the same berm does great. The flowers wither and don't make fruits. I started to have someone help me dig them up this week and decided to write to see if you have any ideas what could be wrong all of these years. We are in Snowmass Village at 7,936' - and the hillside is Mancos Shale...but, I know plenty of native elderberries in the same soil doing fine. I am a botanist, but was in rare plant field research with native plants at CSU/CNHP for 11 years...I've never had much of a garden at the house (mostly things we planted 25 years ago, and anything that decided to volunteer) and know little about horticulture. If you have any thoughts, I would love to save my shrubs. I'm retired now and learning about horticulture - want my garden to thrive! Thank you, Janis www.highcountrywild.com
I am normally very good with native plants, but have had trouble with my elderberries for 25 years. I just never had the heart to remove them and thought whatever was not right would eventually change. I made sure they were the native species, but back then I might not have noticed that they were a variety. They are planted on a berm with partial sun near Engelmann spruce and aspen. They are facing northeast and the sun varies between the 3 shrubs I have. One is beside a golden currant - the currant does fantastic, but the elderberry doesn't. All 3 of them start out in the spring looking fairly decent, but by the time the flowers start to bloom, the leaves have begun to wither. The leaves coil up and the whole shrub never looks right. Everything else on the same berm does great. The flowers wither and don't make fruits. I started to have someone help me dig them up this week and decided to write to see if you have any ideas what could be wrong all of these years. We are in Snowmass Village at 7,936' - and the hillside is Mancos Shale...but, I know plenty of native elderberries in the same soil doing fine. I am a botanist, but was in rare plant field research with native plants at CSU/CNHP for 11 years...I've never had much of a garden at the house (mostly things we planted 25 years ago, and anything that decided to volunteer) and know little about horticulture. If you have any thoughts, I would love to save my shrubs. I'm retired now and learning about horticulture - want my garden to thrive! Thank you, Janis www.highcountrywild.com
Pitkin County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Janis, Here are some thoughts. Site/moisture is probably fine or ok. They are a short-lived perennial and 25 years is a long time. They probably produce best between 4-12 years old. So you could pull them out and replace or you could try to prune them extensively this fall and see if some of the new growth next year is healthier.
Now from the pictures, here is what I see. Definitely had some blight or quick die off from something. Maybe a late hard freeze after bloom, maybe a bacterial infection, or maybe a residual herbicide damage. The leaves that are curled in the photos look like what I'd see with aphid insect damage, but you can see if they're present by unrolling the leaves. In any case, I don't see any change in soil, or management will fix this issue.
Elderberries are a weak bush for our higher altitudes in mountain climates. They obviously can grow here, but I can tell you they're my weakest bush here at our Extension garden in Gunnison. We have a lot better luck with gooseberries, service berries, honey berries, and raspberries. Of course currents never seem to have issues either.
Good luck in retirement, maybe this helps, eric
Now from the pictures, here is what I see. Definitely had some blight or quick die off from something. Maybe a late hard freeze after bloom, maybe a bacterial infection, or maybe a residual herbicide damage. The leaves that are curled in the photos look like what I'd see with aphid insect damage, but you can see if they're present by unrolling the leaves. In any case, I don't see any change in soil, or management will fix this issue.
Elderberries are a weak bush for our higher altitudes in mountain climates. They obviously can grow here, but I can tell you they're my weakest bush here at our Extension garden in Gunnison. We have a lot better luck with gooseberries, service berries, honey berries, and raspberries. Of course currents never seem to have issues either.
Good luck in retirement, maybe this helps, eric
