Sambucca nigra Black lace

m.aragones

Hi I am trying replace a sambuca with no joy at my local nursery or even the more commercial garden centres. My late grandmother was giving me pocket money over the last ten years to buy plants for my garden. We are now looking to design the garden and have had to move some plants and the sambucca was much more difficult to move so I had to let it go. The plants are all so emotionally tied up in my grandmother and replacing the sambuca is really important to me. Can anyone direct me to where I can source one? I understand that one episode showcased a cultivator who might be able to help me. Many thanks. 

Dovefromabove

Hi @m.aragones and welcome to the forum 😊 

I suspect it may be down to the time of year ... fresh growth on Sambucus is quite fragile so they don’t transport well. Certainly Burncoose (which is a very reputable online supplier) state that they’ll have them available in the autumn. 

https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=3867

Hope that helps 😊 

Posy

They are very popular and can usually be found in most garden centres when the time is right. Burncoose is excellent but shockingly expensive.

TheVanguard

Talking of expensive it’s in stock at Crocus.

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/sambucus-nigra-f-porphyrophylla-eva-pbr/classid.2000004449/

Elfer

https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/s12265-sambucus-nigra-black-lace-black-elder-sambuca-plant

Busy-Lizzie

I've used Crocus and Gardening Express. All I can say is choose Crocus, packaging is  lot better, if you want to limit the damage to your plants.

Elfer

I had the total opposite experience, crocus had no packaging whatsoever and they took 10 day to get back to me after I put in a complaint for one of the plants. Also I felt gardening express plants were much better value.

Both purchases from Crocus & Gardening express was last month.

Pete.8

Garden centres often wait until a plant is in flower before putting them out for sale - so they look at their best and can charge accordingly.
I reckon if you visit in a few weeks, they may well be in stock.
I can see the flower buds just appearing on mine

Bijdezee

When you find one take some cuttings, they root easily. I gave two away to a community scheme here. 

robairdmacraignil

I agree about them working from cuttings. Not sure if it would be practical but if you could call back to where your old one is growing in autumn and take some cuttings then when the leaves have dropped for winter there is a good chance they could form new plants. Mine is still young but I took a few branches off to improve its shape last autumn and made these into suitable sized pieces and put them in the ground and although still just forming roots the majority of the pieces have got leaves and look to be on their way to making new plants.

JennyJ

Cuttings root easily from the young growth at this time of year too, so if you know anyone who has one it would be worth asking for a few pieces now.