Do you have to travel far to get to naturally occurring bushes?

I haven't found any nearby yet. I've been looking though.
ldr

Ime, they produce the 2nd full year after planting. However, it may be late this growing season to expect a crop in 2 years.

I've been around the Anchorage area and there's a lot of red elder and serviceberry to be found, but it looks like blue elderberry is not native to the area.

A Google search for "Serviceberry wine" garnered 12 hits.
You might also try searching Juneberry wine, it's the same plant.

Do Juneberries grow here? I'm new to the area and still learning what plants are native or grow well in this area. Plus my husband and I are trying to find some type of bush that would produce fruit, encourage wildlife(NOT MOOSES though as they love our backyard), and would grow around chest high. It's just to cover up a bare area.
ldr

I came upon a Juneberry bush near Palmer a couple of years ago and it was loaded with fruit. I believe my friend who lives nearby made good use of them. It was about chest high, growing at an elevation of around 500 feet. Perhaps there is a native plant nursery in your area.

Cultivated elderberries have larger sized berry clusters compared to their native relatives. I found the plants to grow quickly in my yard and I harvested fruit three years after planting them and used it for jelly. However, despite three years of great crops the plants have been declining ever since. I am not sure if it is the fault of my soil, cultivation technique, or disease. Or perhaps, the cultivated varieties are short-lived.

A winemaker for 25+ years, made lots from elderberries. In Lincolnshire, England, the shrub grows as part of a hedge, and as it grows fast, is very common. Beware - there are two forms. One smells delightful, the other ... of male cats urine! Only make your wine out of the former, the latter looks good in the bottle, but just one berry will taint the brew. So, check the flowers before they become berries. (On a sad note, there was a magnificent Sambucus canadensis growing in Spalding, Lincolnshire, which gave excellent berries and wine - but the land was developed before the 50 year old tree could be saved.)

Elderberry wine is made with only the berries - any stalk and the wine becomes sharp. Harvest the berries by wrapping a shopping bag around the bunch with your hand inside and tickling them. Harvest only the black ones, and yes, your hands will get stained. It wears off - eventually.
Wash the berries thoroughly in cold water, and remove floaters - these are invariably insect cases or unripe - and insects. Use 1Kg/5 litres, 1Kg sugar, boiling the washed berries for 5 minutes before straining through muslin (or sterilised leg of tights), squeeze lightly, add pectin then allow to cool and settle, rack after a day and ferment until dry.

Elderberry cordial is good for colds (just use 2Kg sugar and don't ferment) but beware - it is soperific, and sends the drinker into hot sweats - hence 'Sweat it out'. Enjoy.

ldr, I'm in South Anchorage and have some elderberry growing wild on our lot. Contact me and I'll find one you can dig up.

I don't think the moose browse them 'cuz we've got one in the front yard that is HUGE! The Mountain Ash (No, we weren't the ones who planted it) is another story--sigh.

...Annette

Yes, a couple ounces of Elderberry wine will make you sleep heavy and sweat off any cold or flu. Our family used that in Montana. Not sleeping well in the worst part of any sniffles or illness, IMO. I'd even use it in allergy season if I had access to some!

I once had a huge Elderberry tree. It was so beautful - in every season - and I left berries for the sweet and social Cedar Waxwings who came thru in the fall. That tree did sucker from underground pretty badly - so be diligent if you don't want a whole grove! Now I'm growing a small varigated one with no fruit yet, but it's pretty. (And I do fight the Starlings for fruit from a huge Bing Tree, or wild black cherry that also suckers alot)

I've heard that the white upright elderberry flowers are also medicinal - for Spring allergies - in a tea, but I haven't tried that.

There are Elderberry recipes at this site - http://indianspringherbs.com

enjoy!

Here is a link that might be useful: a Wild Edibles Link

Mornao-

Would you please tell me how to tell the difference between the sweet smelling elderberry and the not so sweet one? I had a wonderful elderberry shrub that died during a hard winter. It smelled SO sweet when you walked by it. I replaced it with 2 sambucus canadensus and they don't smell so sweet at all. Both were sold as Sambucus canadensus. I would like to get a sweet smelling one- any information would be greatly appreciated.
OGP

Im going to plant elderberrys this season.For the fist time im in alabama.any advice?

I'm just planting some and found a good link for care ect. I'm planting for fruiting screen along with currants, chokecherries, and native plum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone fruit link for PA but has good info.