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pruning elders

I have a mature elder -sambucus nigra and want to give it a boost. Has anyone ever cut a sambucus fairly severely? The thickest branches are about 4 to 5 inches in diameter. I live in West Yorkshire (thought that might help in terms of knowing when to prune)

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  • Jean GenieJean Genie Posts: 1,724

    Hi Flowerpower, I have a sambucus nigra and a black lace but they are in tubs. They get hard pruned every Spring for the foliage but with your tree , I found this information. It looks a little different.

    http://hedgerowmobile.com/elder.html

    Hope this helps.

  • Thank you so much for your help! I'm going to cut it back, even though it's 13 years old and has chunky branches at the base. I never understand why people think it has an unappealing scent- I love it!

  • Hi flowerpower, I too cut back my overgrown Sambucus hard in spring, it was a

    "muck or nettles" job, it has rewarded me with lovely foliage and a much better

    shape.

    Hope this is helpful  image

  • Thank you! The said elder was full of finches today- popping out to feed from our feeder once the starlings had retreated so I'll definitely wait till late winter but am encouraged by all of your advice.

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