Yep, sambucus nigra 'Black Lace', cracking little tree, whether cropped down to a woody framework, as said, each February, for lovely foliage, or tidied up a little less vigorously (same time), to allow it to produce flower, which is white, but flushed purple. Makes a good addition to elderflower cordial to colour it prettily.
coppice it every other year, that way you get foliage the first year and then flowers the next before you cut it to the ground to start all over again.
Posts
It's one of the variants of Sambucus nigra. Many people coppice this to keep the foliage a good size and colour - info here
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=121 .
Be aware that coppicing will mean that you will not get flowers, but the foliage will be greatly improved.
Yep, sambucus nigra 'Black Lace', cracking little tree, whether cropped down to a woody framework, as said, each February, for lovely foliage, or tidied up a little less vigorously (same time), to allow it to produce flower, which is white, but flushed purple. Makes a good addition to elderflower cordial to colour it prettily.
H-C
coppice it every other year, that way you get foliage the first year and then flowers the next before you cut it to the ground to start all over again.