Saturday, June 20, 2009

Another Elder We Love!

This is Sambucus canadensis 'Acutiloba' or 'Laciniata' or American Elder. This one we have in our garden has a cut leaf which makes for visual interest in the summer. It is a deciduous shrub, multi-stemmed, 5 feet to 12 feet tall and has fruit that matures in September. It is native to the eastern United States and is hardy to Zone 4 and warmer parts of Zone 3. The flowers are edible and smell of vanilla. Ours is growing in shade and probably would be even better with more sun, but space is at a premium! This one below is growing in the herb garden of the Western Reserve unit of the Herb Society of America at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. It is a great garden and one you should visit if you are going to be in the Cleveland area this summer.

2 comments:

Martha said...

I just found Lemon Verbena Lady-- as another herb gardener it was nice to find a kindred spirit! I love herbs and most of our back garden IS herbs!

A lavender that does well on the prairie is the cultivar -- Provence -- it's been proven in K State Field Trials.

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Thanks Martha. I'm glad you found me. Provence makes a lovely lavender bush and then unfortunately it can be taken away by Mother Nature! I lost seven in one year. I try to stick to Hidcote and Munstead but even then you can lose them from not enough air circulation! I will check out your blog. Take care. Visit me again!