Elderberry

Lacy, creamy white flower clusters and heavy bunches of dark berries make elderberry a staple of edible landscapes. Flowers go into teas and cordials, while ripe berries are cooked into syrups, jams, and pies. This fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub suits hedgerows and moist ground, including rain gardens and streambanks. Bees work the blooms, and songbirds flock to the late-summer fruit. Elderberry seed needs warmth and then cold to wake up, but once it does, the young shrubs put on vigorous growth.