Blue Elderberry ~ Bundle of 3 Bare-root
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Other Names:
Velvet-leaf Elder, Dwarf Elder, Blue Elder
Latin Name:
Sambucus caerulea
Available February 15, 2027.  Plants ship within 3 weeks of this date, shipped in the order they were received. NOTE: We will wait to ship your order until all your plants become available.

The Blue Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea) is a generous, fast-growing native shrub or small tree, crowned in early summer with great creamy, lacy flower clusters and, by late summer, drooping bunches of powdery blue berries with a long history of food and medicine.2, 4

Offered as a bundle of 3 bare-root plants — see the Planting Guide tab for bare-root handling.

NOTE: Bare-root plants arrive dormant (no leaves) and without soil.

Edible & Medicinal Uses

Both the flowers and the ripe blue berries are edible and prized — but with one firm rule: the berries must be cooked before eating. Raw berries commonly cause nausea, and the leaves, bark, stems, and roots are toxic (they contain cyanide-forming compounds), so strip the berries from the stems and cook them. Properly cooked, the berries make superb syrup, jelly, pie, and wine, long valued for soothing colds and flu; the fragrant flowers can be made into cordial, tea, or fritters. Blue elderberry is the good edible one — its red-berried cousin is more toxic and not for the kitchen.1, 3, 5

Ornamental Qualities

Bold and beautiful, Blue Elderberry forms an arching, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree 10–20+ ft, with lush, divided foliage, flat creamy flower heads up to a foot across, and showy blue fruit. It's a fast, forgiving screen or hedgerow plant and a wildlife magnet, handsome with Pacific Crabapple and the native currants.2

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Widespread from British Columbia to California, Blue Elderberry grows along streams, roadsides, meadows, and forest openings, tolerating both moisture and summer drought. It's one of the most important bird-food plants in the West, and its flowers feed a wealth of pollinators.1, 4

Culture: Called "the medicine chest of the country people," elder has been food, medicine, dye, and craft material for countless generations — Indigenous peoples were its first tenders and continue to gather it — and the hollow stems are worked into flutes and tools. (Twana: TsiqWi'qWay.) We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.4

In the Kitchen

Strip the ripe berries from their stems (freezing the clusters first makes this easy), then cook them — simmer into a deep, tangy syrup for pancakes and cold-season tonics, or into jelly, pie, and wine. Catch the flowers in early summer for an elderflower cordial or a batter-fried fritter. Always cook the berries, and never use the green parts.5 (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

  • Native Range: British Columbia to California; streamsides, meadows, openings1
  • USDA Zones: ~4–103 (grows wild along the Southern California coast, and thrives in zone 10–11 gardens around Los Angeles)
  • Light: Full sun to light shade2
  • Water: Moderate; tolerates moisture and, once established, dry summers4
  • Soil: Fertile, well-drained; adaptable4
  • Habit: Fast, arching shrub / small tree, 10–20+ ft2
  • Edible: Cooked ripe berries & flowers only — never raw berries or green parts1

References

  1. Portland Nursery; Putah Creek Council, Sambucus caerulea.
  2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
  3. Oregon State University Extension, "Play It Safe When Preserving Elderberries" (EM 9446).
  4. Elise Krohn, Wild Foods and Medicines; UC ANR, Blue Elderberry.
  5. "Play It Safe When Preserving Elderberries," OSU Extension.

Planting Guide: Blue Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea) — Bundle of 3 Bare-root

Tip: Give it sun and room — it grows fast into a big, generous shrub — and remember the golden rule: harvest flowers and ripe berries, and always cook the berries.

When Your Plant Arrives

Open the box promptly. Your plant travels dormant — no leaves and no soil — which is normal and the healthiest way for it to ship. Keep the roots moist and cool, and unwrap them only when you’re ready to plant. Aim to get it into the ground or a pot within a day or two; if you can’t, tuck the roots into damp soil, sawdust, or a bucket of moist material and hold it somewhere cool and out of frost. Don’t let the roots dry out or sit in standing water. If anything looks amiss, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll make it right.

Choosing a Site

Light: Full sun to light shade.

Soil: Fertile, well-drained; adaptable to moist ground or (once established) dry.

Space: 8–12 ft apart — it grows into a large shrub or small tree.

Planting Steps

Plant in fall or spring while dormant.

Set at the depth it grew, backfill with compost, firm, water in, and mulch.

Watering & Care

Establishment: Water through the first season.

After establishment: Moderate water; it shrugs off dry summers once rooted.

Pruning: It can get leggy — renew a portion of the oldest canes each late winter and thin for airflow; it regrows vigorously.

Protection

Deer: Sometimes browsed.

Wildlife: One of the West’s top bird-food shrubs, and the flowers feed a host of pollinators.

Safety (important): Leaves, bark, stems, roots, and raw berries are toxic. Never eat any green part, and always strip berries fully from their stems.

Harvest Basics

Season: Flowers in early summer; berries in late summer when fully blue (with a dusty bloom) and ripe.

Prep (essential): Cook ripe, de-stemmed berries before eating — raw berries commonly cause nausea. Cooked, they make syrup, jelly, pie, and wine; the flowers are lovely in cordial or fritters. Never eat berries raw or any green part.