Elder Golden Lace

A compact shrub from Canada for the smaller garden, Sambucus racemosa Golden Lace is a small to medium-sized, deciduous shrub, with bronze-tinted new shoots. The heavily divided, lacy leaves are toothed and bright yellow, later green, and turn yellow again in autumn. Panicles of creamy-white, fragrant flowers are borne in May and June, and are followed by scarlet fruits, a nice contrast with the yellow autumn leaves; the berries are good food for birds and the flowers are good for pollinators. All parts of elders are toxic, but the berries can be eaten if cooked, and the flowers are often used to make cordials or ‘elderflower champagne’. Water well in the first year after planting; after that, they shouldn’t need watering, except in very dry spells. Needs minimal pruning, as it’s so compact.