Whether in the wild or in the garden - the elderflower is not only interesting for people, because the black elderberry is a popular butterfly plant. It also offers many local birds an ideal nesting place and is also an important source of food for them. This is how you can create a vibrant garden by planting elderberries.
When does the elderberry bloom?
The start of the flowering period for the black elderberry cannot be precisely predicted, as various facts play an important role. But when it blooms, then according to the phenological calendar, early summer begins, because the elderberry is one of the so-called indicator plants. As a rough guide, however, it can be said that the elderberry blooms between May and July. After a warm and/or short winter, the flowering starts earlier, but if the winter was long and/or very cold, the elderberry flowers a little later.
What does “pointer plant” mean?
In the phenological calendar, the date does not play any role, as it is based on the plants and their flowering and ripening times. This can help you plan your gardening so you can adapt it to the rhythm of nature. Depending on the climate and weather, the ten seasons of the phenological calendar are slightly different in each year and in each region.
The flowering time of the elderberry depends on this:
- Climate zone or winter hardiness zone
- current weather situation
- Location
- daily sun exposure
Flowering time of different cultivars
- “Alba”:May to July, white flowers with little scent
- “Albovariegata”:May to July, pink-red flowers with a delicate scent
- “Black Tower”:May to June, white-pink flowers with a pleasantly sweet scent
- “Guincho Purple”:from May, pink bud, white main flower with a light scent
- “Pygmaea”:from May, yellowish white flowers with a delicate scent
- “Thundercloud”:from the end of May, beginning of June, pink flowers with scent
- “Madonna”:from May or June, yellowish white flower with a light scent
- “Aurea”:June, yellowish white flowers with a light scent
- “Pulverulanta”:June, white flower with scent
- “BlackBeauty”:from June, pink blossom with lemony scent
- “Black Lace”:from June, pink blossom with a light scent
- “Purpurea”:from June, pink-white blossom with scent
- “Korsor”:rather late in June, large white flowers
- “Giant from Voßloch”:June to July, white blossom
How long does the black elderberry bloom?
After the buds appear, it takes about two weeks until the elderberry is in full bloom. If you want to use the flowers in the kitchen, you should harvest them shortly after opening because the flowers are relatively sensitive. Overall, however, the flowering period can last a few weeks. The flowers on the “sunny side” of the bush usually open first, and those on the side facing away from the sun open a few days later. The duration of the flowering period, as well as the beginning, depends heavily on the weather. In sunny, dry weather it lasts for a few weeks. In rain and/or strong wind, the elderberry quickly loses its delicate flowers.
TheRed Elderberry(bot. Sambucus racemosa) blooms earlier than the black elderberry, namely from around mid-April to the end of May. TheAttich (bot. Sambucus ebulus) is also related to the black elderberry, but blooms relatively late from around June to August. These two species can easily be confused with the black elderberry, but they are poisonous. Therefore they are not well suited for a family garden.
Why doesn't the elderberry bloom everywhere at the same time?
There are also climatically favorable and less favorable regions within a country; this influences the flowering of the elderberry as well as the exact location and the daily hours of sunshine. An elder in a sunny spot in your garden can bloom a few days earlier than a plant of the same variety in the shade. Even on a single bush you can notice these differences. The flowering time of the elderberry within Germany can vary by several weeks. Flowering often begins in the relatively warm Rhine valley and then slowly moves northwards. On the North Sea and B altic Sea or in Schleswig-Holstein, the elderflower only arrives after about three weeks, depending of course on the respective weather conditions.
