i have all the elderberrys you might want for youe lemon trees. will cuttings be ok? i always send plenty, thanks ahead, molly

Molly, Black Lace can be stubburn to flower, and it should flower if you have another bush or not. It may not fruit without a 2nd bush. I would try Black Beauty, Laciniata or Emerald Lace. You need another cultivar for fruit, not the same one. When I think about it Nigra species is somewhat self fruitful, so you don't need a 2nd bush although a 2nd bush would make them produce more fruit. It's canadensis that is not self fruitful. If you want fruit though best to grow one meant for fruit. Bob mentioned he has Samdal a nigra species that fruits very well. Samyl fruits even better! Both can be obtained from Nourse Farms. I would get that for fruit. Lace and the others are not really great producers as you are finding out. Well some of the ornamentals produce OK Emerald Lace produces fairly well. I like the variegated species, but they too are not grown for fruit as much and require some shade. The really white one Sambucus nigra 'Pulverulenta' is tough to grow. I lost one this year due to the extreme winter. I replaced it this spring. I just like it so much, I'm still trying to figure out how to grow it well. Now the other variegated species Sambucus nigra 'Albovariegata' grows like a weed, but is susceptable to fungal disease, it needs to be sprayed. It is also a very handsome plant. Mine is getting big! I grow them at my cottage as I have low light there and am trying to find low light plants that are edible. it has been a difficult challenge. Cornus Mas though grows well there, and so I have a couple cultivars of that up there. Molly I would try feeding your bush with Holly-Tone. The PH might be too high, and the complete nutrition of Holly-Tone may help if maybe it is a lack of a micro-nutrient. Holly-Tone has sulfur and will lower PH slightly over time. Adding iron might help too. Elders like a PH of around 6.0 A soil test could help determine the problem. Sometimes in low light they will not fruit. .

Black Lace is a form of Sambucus nigra so it does not sucker as does S. canadensis. Also - if you grow only one clone you will not get much if any fruit. It is self incompatable. I also beleive that the species blooms on old wood. It blooms in the spring and not in mid-summer as does S. canadenis. I cut mine back each spring and pinch it often to get a real bushy plant, but I only get a few flowers and no fruit. The new growth is green but changes quickly to dark black.

Loretta: None of the other plants in my garden look like this. In fact, I can't remember seeing any plant look like this before. Any idea what to do? I am taking a wait and see attitude at this point and hoping for the best. Thanks!