ShrubsBlack Elderberry
Sambucus nigra
Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a fast-growing shrub, hardy in USDA zones 5-8, that matures to about 8-20 ft × 8-20 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with high water needs in well-drained and moist soil. Expect cream and white blooms in spring and summer. It attracts butterflies and songbirds.
- USDA zones
- 5-8
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Water
- High
- Mature size
- 8-20 ft × 8-20 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moist
- Bloom color
- Cream, White
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Songbirds
- Native to
- Europe, northern Africa, southwestern Asia
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Black Elderberry is hardy to about -20°F (estimated from USDA zone 5), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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