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Sambucus 'Black Lace'

I planted a black lace in my garden this summer. It was about 2-3 feet tall when I put it in.

It's fairly exposed to the wind where it is, but I have little choice about that as my garden backs on to a field.

It flowered nicely -  3 blossoms - and grew to about 6 feet tall.

Apart from the top two stems, every leaf and branch has fallen from it, leaving a 6 foot stick in the ground.

Is this normal?

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Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 13,278

    Leaves - yes

    Branches - no.

    Not sure what might be wrong, but that is not normal.

    There are ashtrays of emulsion,
    for the fag ends of the aristocracy.

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Any chance of a photo please? It would be good if you had one of it with leaves and one of it now ... 

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 26,984

    can you put a couple of photos on GK? In summer and now (if you have any)

    Reduce the size of the pic before you start, to about 30%, 

    How big were the branches that fell off?



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 26,984

    snap, Dove



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • I think you're thinking what I'm thinking Nut image

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 26,984

    I hope so Dove image



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • I hope you can see from these photos. The first photo is in may. You can see the Sambucus at the far end of this bed.

    The second photo I have just taken today. 

    imageimage

  • I would say most branches that came off were between 6 and 10 inches long

  • I think that what has fallen are the leaves - elder leaves are divided into leaflets leading off the main 'mid rib' - but it is all one leaf.

    This is just one elder leaf 

    image

    The mid rib which looks like a stem or small branch in the centre will fall with the leaves in the autumn.  That is perfectly normal.  Don't worry, next spring your elder will grow some branches from the single upright stem and the branches will then have these 'compound' leaves growing from them.

    Last edited: 30 November 2016 13:31:56

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,818

    Sambucus Black Lace has much more frilly dissected leaves but the principal is as Dove says.  New foliage next spring.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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