The Black Lace Elderberry, with striking dark foliage and delicate pink flowers, is a dramatic garden focal point. Paired thoughtfully with other plants, it becomes even more impressive. Companion planting involves strategically placing species together to create a mutually beneficial environment, enhancing garden health and appearance.
Understanding Black Lace Elderberry
Black Lace Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’) is a deciduous shrub with deeply dissected, purple-black, lace-like leaves. It typically grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide with an upright habit. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, with foliage most vibrant in full sun, especially in cooler climates.
It prefers moist, well-drained soil but adapts to various soil types, from slightly acidic to neutral. Consistent moisture helps it flourish, though it tolerates some dryness. This fast-growing shrub often produces flowers and berries in its first year and is hardy in USDA zones 4-7.
Benefits of Companion Planting
Companion planting with Black Lace Elderberry offers many advantages beyond aesthetics, enhancing its vigor and resilience. It improves soil health, enriching it with nutrients and promoting beneficial microbial activity.
Certain companion plants deter pests, protecting the elderberry without chemical intervention. Others attract beneficial insects, like pollinators, crucial for flower and berry production. This practice contributes to a diverse and stable garden ecosystem.
Recommended Companion Plants
Selecting companion plants involves shared environmental preferences and complementary characteristics. Plants with similar light, soil moisture, and pH levels thrive alongside the elderberry, whose dark foliage provides an excellent backdrop for contrasting colors or forms.
- Coneflowers: For sunny locations, these perennials offer vibrant contrast with bright, daisy-like blooms in pink, purple, and white. They attract pollinators, benefiting berry production, and prefer well-drained soil.
- Daylilies: Adaptable and low-maintenance, they provide splashes of color. Their varied bloom times extend garden interest.
- Ornamental Grasses: Like switchgrass or fountain grass, they offer textural contrast with fine blades and arching habits. They complement the elderberry’s bold foliage, adding movement and a naturalistic feel while tolerating full sun and well-drained conditions.
- Hostas: For partial shade, Hostas offer a wide array of leaf sizes, shapes, and colors, from chartreuse to deep blue-green. Their broad leaves create striking visual contrast with the elderberry’s lacy foliage and thrive in the moist, well-drained soil it prefers.
- Heuchera (Coral Bells): Offers similar benefits with diverse foliage colors like amber, purple, and lime green. They maintain interest throughout the growing season and suit dappled light conditions beneath the elderberry.
- Hydrangeas: Pair well, especially varieties tolerating partial shade and moist soil. Their large, showy flower clusters provide a significant floral display complementing the elderberry’s delicate blooms. Panicle Hydrangeas, for example, handle more sun and offer late-season interest.
- Herbs (Yarrow, Oregano): Beneficial companions, attracting beneficial insects and deterring pests. Yarrow’s flat-topped flower clusters add form and color, while oregano provides a low-growing, fragrant groundcover. Both are easy to grow and tolerate similar conditions.
- White Clover: Can be used as a living mulch, fixing nitrogen and retaining moisture, benefiting the elderberry’s root system.
Plants to Avoid
Avoid plants with conflicting needs or aggressive growth habits. Those with very different water or soil pH requirements struggle when planted too close.
Lavender, for instance, prefers drier conditions and can suffer root rot near moisture-loving elderberries.
Aggressive spreaders like mint should be kept away. Mint’s vigorous root system can outcompete the elderberry for nutrients and water, hindering growth.
Similarly, aggressive growers like sumac or honey locust may compete intensely for resources.
Certain nutrient-dependent vegetables like cabbage might not be ideal companions. Elderberries have shallow root systems and require consistent nutrients, leading to competition.
Short, sun-loving plants may struggle if planted directly underneath a dense elderberry, as its mature size casts significant shade, impacting their growth.
Designing Your Companion Garden
When designing a garden with Black Lace Elderberry, consider the mature size and spread of all plants to ensure adequate spacing, allowing for the elderberry’s full development (6-8 feet tall and wide). Layering plants by height creates visual depth and ensures all plants receive appropriate light. Taller companions form a backdrop, medium-sized plants fill the mid-ground, and shorter groundcovers or perennials can be placed at the front.
To achieve year-round interest, select companions with varied bloom times, foliage textures, and seasonal colors. Early spring bulbs provide color before the elderberry fully leafs out, while fall-blooming perennials extend the display into autumn.
Consider the color palette; the dark foliage of Black Lace Elderberry provides a dramatic anchor for bright, contrasting hues or can be complemented by shades of silver or lime green. Regular maintenance, including pruning and watering, helps the combined planting thrive and maintain its design.